Bonds
by Sj929
Summary: Naruto, even after living a life may people would call hell, managed to find true friends and finally noticed the love in Hinata's eyes. But what would happen if one incident change his life and by accident others too? Wander, Mature, Strong and Sad Naruto. Smarter, and more powerful Konohamaru.
1. chapter 1: That night

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a fic, so please tell me if I make any mistake, Also English is not my primary language so please bear with the grammatical mistakes. I don't mind reviews that tell me my mistakes so feel free to tell me what you think of this story :)  
The idea basically came to mind while I was eating my dinner, and I pondered on it for days and finally came to the decision to put my imagination to some work, and here is the product of my imagination.  
I have just reached to 11 standard so you can imagine that I would not have plenty of time to write this fic but I assure you that I'll put all of my _free_ time for this fic. 

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, just all the OCs, weapons and techniques I would add to this fic (those which are not someone else's property already).

I hope you will enjoy the chapter! ;)

* * *

**Bonds**

_**Ch.1**_

_**That night…**_

The night consumed the land itself in darkness. The only solace in this darkness was the moon presented in its full glory and the constant stream of stars lined beautifully in the dark sky. Most people would have called the night a relaxing period if it's not have been their home village's worst night.

Konohagakure no sato, the most prestigious and feared village throughout the elemental nations, had just experienced its worst night. The most powerful of the nine bijuus, The kyuubi, had attacked the village destroying a large portion of the village and killing a good chunk of its shinobi forces in the process. But the most shocking was the news of death of The yondaime. Minato Namikaze, the most powerful shinobi ever have lived, the man who triumphed a war and killed thousands of men with just one jutsu, The Yellow Flash Of Konoha, have died that night protecting his village from kyuubi's wrath and paid the price with his life. The bijuus are the creatures fully made of chakra, so it is impossible for a mortal being to kill a bijuu. Even Minato himself was not above being a mortal being and did the only thing that could have prevented the village from the kyuubi…he sealed it in his newly born son, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, making him the jinchuriki of the kyuubi sacrificing his and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki's, life in the process.

Their corpses were lying on the ground with a crying infant, with blond hair and whisker marks on its cheeks, on top of them….. this was the scene the sandaime hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his two ANBU companions saw when they arrived with a peaceof paper in the former's hand.

A ninja's most feared enemies are his emotions. A true shinobi is the one who can mask up his emotions and doesn't show any sign of weakness on his face. At that point of time if someone would have looked at Sarutobi's face that person would have thought that he was a newbie at the ninja career and not the most powerful (period) shinobi of the village who was feared as The God Of Shinobi.

Hiruzen didn't put any effort in hiding his emotions if the look of rage and sadness were any indications. A quick sign of his hand was all that the ANBU needed as they suddenly appeared at the corpses' and the infant's side. Hiruzen lifted the boy and tried to calm him down. As if understanding the situation and grieving for the loss of his parents Naruto didn't stoped crying but soon ended asleep in Sarutobi's arm. The sandaime looked at the ANBU with a serious face.

"Dog, Crab, This kid is the yondaime's legacy" he started with a sad but serious voice. "The savior of the village, the hero as Minato would have wanted him to be. His status as the jinchuriki of the kyuubi is a S-class secret. Words should not leak out to public in any scenario until further orders are given. Understood?"

He said the last part with a bit of firmness in his voice reminding the ANBU that he was still their leader, not that it was needed as he thought.

Dog nodded with firmness while Crab a little reluctantly.

"Good, now go to the village with the dead bodies and put them in the preservation center till tomorrow morning. I would take my time with Naruto" Sarutobi said while looking at Naruto in way only grandparents looks at their grandchild.

'_Naruto huh? I should have guessed that sensei will name his son after the protagonist of his favorite novel.' _Thought kakashi with little smile under his mask.

Both ANBU nodded once again and left the clearing with the corpses leaving Sarutobi and infant Naruto alone.  
Sarutobi for the first time in the entire day cracked a smile and began to sing a lullaby for the Naruto who had beginning to wake because of the immense tension coming from everyone.

"you look just like your father, Naruto." He said as he started walking towards the village. "but your eyes are just like your mom's except the colour."

"if citizens of konoha came to know about what happened to you, they will surely make your life a miserable one. I know my people, and they will probably see you as the kyuubi not as his holder" he said a little sadly.

"The village council already had gained a lot of power from Minato's death. I hope I'll be able to hold them off for enough time for you to get strong. Knowing your heritage you will be able to do that in very short time, I'm sure of this."

As if answering his unasked question Naruto smiled a little.

* * *

(In the village)

Crab, after putting kushina and Minato in the preservation center, returned to his home which was nothing more than a rubble on the ground after the impact it suffered during the ruckus.

"Shina! SHINA! WHERE ARE YOU!?" he shouted while throwing away his mask. Underneath the mask was a very handsome face with a little scar across his chin.

He didn't get any response from his wife or _late _wife as he came to know when he removed a big rock from the kitchen area.

The first thing he saw after entering the kitchen area was the body of his deceased wife buried under multiple rocks of varying sizes. He quickly removed the rocks and embraced the dead body with utmost care.

A single tear broke out from his eye, he tried to not to cry but failed miserably. After what seemed like an eternity but were twenty minutes in reality of crying, he stood up with his deceased wife still in his hands and sunshined away to the preservation center.

(**A/N: OST: Sad and Sorrow plays)**

In his way towards the hokage tower he noticed a crowd gathering at the gates. He went to see what had caught the village's attention and what he saw almost made him attack the hokage.  
He was carrying and singing a lullaby for the kyuubi kid! THE DEMON KID who took the life of his beloved wife! Tears began to form at the sides of his eyes as he approached the hokage and handed him a kunai much to the astonishment of the hokage and the villagers. The hokage looked at the kunai and noticed that some words were engraved on it.

_To my beloved Homura.  
- Shina._

"What is the meaning of this Homura-san?" hokage asked in a questioning voice.

"This is my last wish, hokage-_sama_" said Homura while saying the last part with a bit of sarcasm and….disgust?

"I want you to kill me. My wife was my only support in this disdainful world. Without her I have nothing left in this world." He started with a kind of coldness in his voice that sent a shiver down the spine of the villagers.

"My family died when I was small. I lost all my friends in my career, my only lover, my only tie to this world was my wife, my soul-mate…..my friend." He said with a smile and emptiness in his eyes, giving him a creepy look and telling the hokage that the man was completely broken.  
"Homura-san, while I can understand your reasons and feel really bad for you I cannot allow you to give yourself away when the village needs more capable ninjas like you. I can assure yo-"

_**SLAP!**_

All the villagers saw Homura as if he had grown a second head with horror evident on their faces. The hokage was speechless. He had never expected such an act from his ninjas. To say that he was astonished would be the understatement of the year.  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT THE VILLAGE? DON'T YOU HAVE ANY HUMANITY LEFT IN YOURSELF!?"

The hokage had a saddened face and was listening to his words like they were the reflections of his own deeds. The record of his mis-deeds being described to him by the hell lord himself.

"WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER IN THIS MISERABLE WORLD!? THIS WORLD…THIS WORLD HAS NO FATE! NO DEITY OR MIRACLE CAN SAVE IT FROM THE EVIL CLUTCHES OF HUMANITY! THEY KILL, THEY GRIEVE, THEY HATE, THEY REVENGE, AND THIS CYCLE CONTINUES TO MOVE!"

Hiruzen, even after being slapped by the his own subordinate, could not help but notice the truth of his words. Once his own student, Jiraya, said the same things but the difference in their words was that Jiraya was optimistic that this world can be saved and said these things as a wise man not as a broken man who had lost his faith in the world.

"YOU HAD LOSE MY RESPECT FOR YOU. I AM ASHAMED TO CALL YOU MY LEADER! YOU BROUGHT THE KYUUBI, THE BEING THAT DESTROYED MY LIFE, THE BEING WHO KILLLED MY WIFE INTO THIS VILLAGE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A POWERFULL WEAPON!? YOU ABANDONED US! OR YOU CAN'T SEE THAT THIS KID IS THE RE-INCARNATION OF KYUUBI!?"

Villagers were terrified at the news. The creature they thought had been defeated by their beloved yondaime, had re-incarnated in the form of a child!

"YES, YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! THE YONDAIME SEALED THE KYUUBI IN THIS CHILD CONVERTING HIM INTO THE BEAST ITSELF!"

Now the villagers were truly horrified. The ninja population of the village seemed to calm down a little after hearing that this boy was the jinchuuriki of the kyuubi but they were not sure if the seal would be enough to hold the kyuubi in it. The general villagers were more horrified and began to mutter between themselves.

"I am not going to live in this tainted world anymore. Forgive me hokage-sama, I didn't meant to offend you. You was my role-model as a ninja and I would be honored to have died by your hands. " Said Homura when he calmed himself enough to not to shout and began to move toward the hokage and Naruto.

Thinking that he is going to attack them, Sarutobi took a defensive stance still holding Homura's kunai in his hand.

"Shina, wait for me." Were the last words of Homura as he cried for the last time and jumped towards the hokage or more specifically towards his hand.  
To Sarutobi's shock what he thought of as an offensive attack was just a suicide attempt…..and a successful one.  
The dead body of Homura clung to Sarutobi's hand with the kunai piercing his throat. Killed by his role-model and hero through the kunai of his lover, this was the death Homura wanted and in the end, he got it.

(**A/N: OST ends)**

* * *

(At hokage tower)

Hiruzen was in his office thinking about the latest event of Homura's public seppuku with a sad face. Naruto was sleeping at his side in a crib. Hiruzen looked at him with a grand-fatherly smile but was sad for him at the same time. The secret about Naruto must have been the only S-rank secret since the time of Sage of the six paths to have been broken within an hour. Now that the secret about Naruto was revealed, he have to take measures to save Naruto and his childhood. With these thoughts in mind he wrote an order he would execute tomorrow and was sure that this will let Naruto make friends of his age atleast. He didn't know how wrong he was.

Finally, he took Naruto with him and sunshined away to his house unknown to the fact that today's night was the night when the world's fate would change and the harbinger of peace had borned.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know it seems like just a _typical_ Naruto story in this chapter, like the one you usually read on fanfics, but I intend to make some remarkable changes to this story. I hope you will like the things I have in mind. Also, you can text me your opinion via PM if you wants :)  
Don't forget to Rate & Review!


	2. Chapter 2: the decision

**Author's Note: **Here is another chapter of "Bonds" which will deal with Naruto's childhood with a twist waiting for you! Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto like the 99.9% of the world…yeah, it sucks.

* * *

**Bonds**

_**Ch.2**_

_**The decision…  
**_

The golden gleam of morning sun dared to spread its warmth and light over the land of fire, contrasting the dull and dark moods of the citizens of konoha present at the Mourning grounds. All the citizens, ninjas or civilians, men or women, all were clad in black clothing paying tribute to all those heroes who sacrificed themselves while protecting their family, their village from The Kyuubi's wrath.  
Ninjas or not everyone of them was grieving for their loss. The gravestones were not only lined with flowers or bouquets, but were also stained with countless tears.  
Aside from the Mourning, a lone ninja was standing before the memorial stone. He had grey gravity defying hair and a mask covering lower half of his face, he was wearing his hitai-ate in a slanting position, covering his left eye. He was standing there a little slouching, but not in tiredness, in defeat.  
"I am sorry sensei." He said in a cold defeated voice. "I was not able to protect Obito, I promised him that I will keep Rin safe…and shamelessly shattered the promise by killing her myself…." he grabbed his left, covered eye, on the mention of his friends' name. "…..And now even you had left my side. Am I that cruel that I don't deserve anyone's love? Or is it just that fate loves to screw around with me?"  
"In any way you look at me….I am a failure, my life….is a failu-" he suddenly felt like someone's hand is on his shoulder, he felt a presence behind him and when he turned to saw the source, there was…nothing.  
_'What was that? It felt like Minato sensei was there just a moment before.'_

He looked around and spotted The Sandaime, coming toward him or rather, the memorial stone. He then looked at his arms and saw Naruto covered in a cloth playing gleefully with a butterfly flying around him.  
He smiled under his mask while seeing the chibi Naruto and bowed before The hokage.  
"No need for formalities Hatake-san. Today we all are same, our pain, is same."

"Hokage-sama, May I ask what you and Naruto-kun are doing here? I thought that you will be busy in the mourning assembly." asked the jounin while rubbing his finger on Naruto's whiskered cheeks much to the child's joy and the hokage's amusement.  
"The mourning ended just an hour ago so I thought to go for a walk with Naruto-kun here"  
The jounin nodded but then frowned as some memories of today's morning came to his mind. "Hokage-sama, on my way to here I over-heard some people talking about _the demon kid_." Sarutobi's face turned serious at this news. " after Homura's act, do you think he will receive the treatment he deserve? The treatment of a hero?"  
The Sandaime walked towards the memorial stone and stopped when he was face-to-face with Minato's name. "Minato wanted him to be treated as a hero… but I doubt that his wish will be honored. People tend to let their fear and hate take control of their judgments, at times even the most veteran ninja cannot differentiate between a kunai and a scroll that stores the said kunai." He looked at Naruto sadly who was asleep again. "Kakashi-san, I have a meeting with the council members regarding Naruto. I want you to come with me. As his father's student you are the closest thing he has as a family other than Jiraya"  
The man nodded and followed his leader to the council's chamber.

* * *

(At the council chamber's gate)

At the gate of council's chamber The hokage met with someone he hadn't expected to see before 7 years. At the gate there was a strange man with long white hair tied in a spiky ponytail reaching to its waist, had war paint on his face in the form of two red line running from his eyes giving a resemblance to tears of blood. He was wearing a green suit which seems like a hybrid between robes and shirt and a red jacket on top of it. He was wearing wooden sandals with a large scroll strapped on his back. He spotted the hokage and Kakashi and greeted them both. "Hello sensei, Kakashi-kun long time no see.."  
The Jounin gave him an eye-smile and the hokage smiled a little.

"Jiraya, I thought you was too busy in your spy-circle that you would not even come to the village for 7-8 years." Asked Sarutobi a little surprised to see his student again.  
" To say the truth, sensei…. I had paused my spy-circle for a month or so."  
everyone was silent at this revelation and then Kakashi voiced everyone's thought "What…!?"

"You heard me right Kakashi. I received information about my god-son….." Stated Jiraya while looking at Naruto for the first time. The look on Jiraya's face was priceless… it goes from shock (at his striking resemblance with Minato), to confusion (after looking at his whisker marks), to sad (when realization hit him) and then straight to happiness. He was happy to see his god-son for the first time. Very. VERY happy. He almost snatched him away from Sarutobi's hand but the clock at the council chamber's top rang out indicating the time of the confrontation has come.

* * *

(The meeting)

The hokage and his two subordinates, namely Jiraya and Kakashi, came inside the chamber. The hokage sat on his designated chair and Jiraya and Kakshi stood behind him the former with hands folded and the later with hand in his pockets.

All the council members were shocked to see Jiraya at the meeting but none dared to ask him why, after all some more pressing matters were currently at hold…namely, the kyuubi child.

"Hokage-sama, may I ask that why this demon kid had not been executed yet?" said a civilian's representative while looking at Naruto with hate, anger and…..disgust?  
He asked this question as if it's the most casual question ever.  
Poor man, he then became target of massive killing intents coming from several people, hokage, kakashi, danzo, Shikaku, Inoichi, Chouza, Shibi, Tsume and several other clan heads. The former two, because they love Naruto and were disgusted that someone can think of that inhumanity for a mere child, Shikaku from one look of the boy understood that he is yondaime's kid (same blond hair and blue eyes, date of birth, venue of sealing.. everything made perfect sense! Only a fool will be oblivious of that fact) but decided to stay silent to not divert unwanted attention toward Naruto, namely Iwa's attention, and Inoichi and Chouza were supporting Shikaku as they know that their lazy bum friend would not have flared his K.I. if it was not necessary, Danzo, because he wanted to take Naruto under his wing and make him the ultimate weapon, Hiyashi, because he can understand what it was like to see their family members bearing a burden they didn't deserve, Tsume, because she thought that it was inhumane to kill a mere child for circumstances beyond his capabilities, and other clan heads for similar reasons as Danzo.  
The man pissed himself from fear, but not because half of the council were flaring there killing intent on him, but due to fear of Jiraya, who had apparently held the civilian up in the air through his throat.  
"Care to repeat that…?" if a glare can have kill, then Jiraya would have killed The Juubi with that look.  
"Jir-Jira-Jiraya-sa-sama you d-do not un-under-stand, i-if the de-demon lives then t-the who-whole vill-age w-wil b-be in danger" the civilian managed to muster through Jiraya's grasp.  
The look on jiraya's face changed from rage to shock and then to disgust. He literally threw away the man from the window and got back to his position. The hokage shook his head and ordered an ANBU to take the foolish man to hospital.  
"Sensei, what had happened since I was out of this village?" asked a _very _furious Jiraya. "Did you replaced all the golden-hearted civilians for some merciless demons who take joy in killing innocent child!? Or did Danzo brainwashed them to not to have emotions!? (Danzo's eye twitched at the obvious jab) seriously sensei this is not the Konoha I grew in, the people there had a heart! Even the Kirigakure a.k.a Bloody Mist is not that devious!" stated the sage.

"Contain yourself, Jiraya." said the hokage calmly. "For your kind information…" started hokage sarcastically, talking to the council members "this kid is a hero, you understood? A HERO! He is the one containing the Kyuubi, the fucking kyuubi into himself! He is _not_ the demon kid, nor the kyuubi's re-incarnation, he is the savior, THE SAVIOUR OF THE VILLAGE!" many civilians bowed their heads in shame but the hokage wasn't over, he took out a paper from his robes and showed it to everyone. Everyone paled when they read the paper. The hokage nodded "you saw right, this is the yondaime's letter in which he clearly stated that Naruto should be treated as a hero, not a fucking slave labeled as the pariah of the village!" the letter was an omitted version of the original, in the original it was revealed that Nauto was Minato's kid therefore, Sarutobi didn't showed it to the council. But it had the desired effect and all the members began to murmer among themselves.

"well….?" Asked Kakashi impatiently. Danzo was about to raise his opinion of taking him under his wing, but Shikaku Nara already had noticed his hunger for Naruto's power and beated him in this game, standing up he said something he thought would be the most beneficial for all. He didn't know how right he was.  
"Hokage-sama, I think that Naruto should be kept under Jiraya-san's guidance."

Jiraya looked shocked but did not denied, The Sandaime was listening with interest, if Shikaku, the smartest and the laziest person in the whole village (period) was saying something with that force it must have a solid logic.  
"As we all know that Jiraya-san is a seal master. He can regularly check the seal on Naruto, not that I doubt yondaime-sama's abilities but the seal was made in a hassle, every human can make mistakes it's only natural. Also, if in any scenario kyuubi tried to influence little Naruto while he is a child then only Jiraya-san and Hokage-sama are powerful enough to stop it. Last but not the least, due to being the jinchuuriki of kyuubi, Naruto would have a humongous amount of chakra and regular academy based chakra exercises would not be enough for him, he would turn into the dead-last of his class without proper guidance and we may a loose a very valuable shinobi in the process." Hokage was very pleased with Shikaku, he didn't only stoped Danzo but also nullified all the plans of civilian council to sabotage Naruto's study and the logic of the Nara was very sound.  
" I agree with Nara-san" said Hiyashi. "me too" declared Tsume. Soon more than 80% of the council agreed to the proposition.

Hokage smiled "then it's settled, Naruto will go with Jiraya after a month. Any objections?" some people wanted to object but the look on Jiraya's face made them think over again, if they care for their personal health being and hate handicap then they would stay quiet.  
Danzo could only hold a curse spitting from his mouth.  
Hokage nodded "then the meeting is over."

* * *

(Hokage tower)  
After feeding Naruto and putting him in the crib, Jiraya and Sarutobi began to discuss about the recent events.

"Are you sure sensei? I mean, I may not be able to take proper care of Naruto he is just a day old child and I do travel a lot. Considering the fact that I neaver took care of a baby that youn-" Jiraya babbled but was cut by the sandaime.  
"Jiraya…." said sandaime with a stern and serious voice "You took care of Minato after his father's death and he was just 7 at that time. You took care of three war orphans all by yourself. What made you think that you can't take care of your godson?" Jiraya was silent for the moment.  
"If you won't believe in yourself then who will? Naruto is your godson, your student's child, you are the only family he have. Jiraya, think about it, he maybe the Child Of Prophecy…" Jiraya looked at Naruto shock evident on his face, but then a smile found a way to his lips. Maybe his sensei was right, Naruto was Minato's son after all.  
"…and therefore, it's your duty to teach him, to make him the man Minato had wanted him to be, to make him worthy of the title of hero, to make him Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Jiraya thought for a minute and then looked at his sensei with a determined face.

"allright sensei, I'll take care of him, it's a promise."

"Good. Now take Naruto and leave I hadn't had a good nap since tomorrow."

Jiraya nodded and left with Naruto_. 'Now you don't need to worry Minato, Naruto is in very capable hands.'_ Thought Hiruzen and sunshined away to his home.

* * *

(At Konoha's gates)

A month has passed like a breeze. Jiraya and Naruto have grown very fond of each other.  
At the gates stood Izumo and Kotetsu, the two eternal chunins, along with Hiruzen and Kakashi. Before them stood Jiraya in his normal attire with a month old Naruto in his hands. Naruto was wearing a loose orange T-shirt with black trousers above a diaper.

"Jiraya, remember your promise." Said Sarutobi not that it was needed.  
"Of course sensei, I am not a century year old man wearing hokage robes to forget things that easily." He said with a mischievous grin.  
Sarutobi's eye visibly twitched much to Jiraya's amusement. "Make him a great man Jiraya-san just like his father." whispered Kakashi in his ears so that anybody else could not over-hear them.  
Jiraya nodded and gave a two-fingered peace sign with a grin and left the village.  
Sarutobi and Kakashi stood there watching his back as he walked on the road with Naruto in a position that posted half of his body on his back shoulder. They saw in amazement as the young chibi saw them and smiled and moved his hand in a try to wave a good-bye. They waved him back and left to do their work. After all, they would see him again after 11 years too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Now that the chapter is over I wants to make certain things clear:  
First, Naruto _will _be a sadder Naruto, but he would not be a completely broken man with no hope of life who had suffered all of his life, with no true friends and people trying to be cruel to him for no legitimate reason.

The reason he will be sad would be released in the upcoming chapters. (yeah, I am an evil bastard :p)

Second, the letter that Minato left is the same piece of paper that Sarutobi was holding in the first ch. So if anybody thinks that the page was not discussed in that ch, it has been now.  
Third, Naruto would not be a super powered freak when he comes back to take genin test. Remember the time when Jiraya and Naruto had gone for a 2 years training trip? He had not learned anything other than creating bigger rasengans and breaking genjutsus and this time Jiraya will have to teach him from the scratch so the development would be slow but not non-existent.  
Fourth, I am thinking of giving Naruto a weapon, I am inclined for a cool badass sword but if enough people ask to change it then it can happen. Anybody who have a particular weapon in his/her mind can pm me. I am not going to open a poll for it just pm me and I'll see what I can do.  
and last but not the least, don't forget to Rate and Review!  
yours Reviews makes my day so please don't forget to do it.  
write you later!

**Memorable Moment:"**In any way you look at me….I am a failure, my life….is a failu-" he suddenly felt like someone's hand is on his shoulder, he felt a presence behind him and when he turned to saw the source, there was…nothing.  
_'What was that? It felt like Minato sensei was there just a moment before.'_


	3. Chapter 3: New faces

**Author's Note:** Sorry readers, this chapter took me a lot of time to write. The workload of new class was almost unbearable; also I only had time at weekends to write!

However, in this chapter, there will be a major time-skip and our beloved Konoha 12 would arrive! Also, for Naruto's weapon, I took a leaf out of Kishimato's book. I won't break the surprise but I'm sure at least two readers would be very happy with the choice of weapon.

I have some guest reviews that I can't pm so here are your replies (I won't write the review just the reply, don't worry you would know which one is yours):

**Guest: **I won't say if you are wrong or right, but I would say that this fic is a complete AU. You will find some unexpected twists and stories. Also, I do not plan to go according to the manga or anime, this will be completely based on my imagination. However, I might add some things from the cannon, but I won't promise.

**Guest: **I think you would be one of the happier readers.

**theeternalguest: **I am glad you are enjoying the story!

**098:** like I said in the last chapter, Naruto would be stronger than in the cannon but not god-like, his developments will be more realistic. Also, he has only the yang chakra of Kurama, but Minato don't have the yin chakra, this is one of the twists and I am going to explain this in one of the later chapters.

**Guest**: As you will see in this chapter, I am not going to write about Naruto's childhood.

Now, that the reviews are taken care of, lets start with the chapter.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, However I do own all of the OCs and new techniques I will add to this fic that are not belonging to anybody else already.

* * *

**Bonds**

_**ch.3**_

_**New Faces…**_

Konoha was as calm and happy as it used to be before the kyuubi incident. Twelve years have passed since that calamity occurred, now, everyone was happy. They had found love, and they had re-invented happiness in their own worlds…all-in-all they had coped very well with their new situations. What makes Konoha stand apart from other villages is the bond between its citizens. No matter if they know each other or not, if they had been with each other or not, they will all sacrifice themselves for their loved ones and the village at the slightest opportunity. What makes konoha stand apart is their will…..their _will of fire_.

(At Konoha's front gates)

Konoha's front gate duty was considered the easiest way to earn money in the whole village. Not because it offers a large sum of money, quite the opposite, but because during this duty you don't have to do anything other than sitting in a chair, enjoying donuts, and checking the I.D. proofs of the travelers. The only real work they ever do is during the time of Chunins exam or in any calamity. The eternal chunins, Izumo and Kotetsu, were also stated as the eternal guards of the gates through an unspoken law. They were not chunins because they lack power, if they put little effort they make would Jounin in no time, keyword: if.

They were utterly bored….like every other day. "Man…why do we have to do this boring job every day? There are ninjas weaker than us, why they can't do this instead of us?" questioned Kotetsu. "Because…..they are weaker than us. We have years of experience of working together, we can get the information to the Hokage faster than any other duo. Also…..it gives us some easy money, so SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND GET YOUR ASS BACK O WORK!" shouted Izumo from behind the counter.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you are talking as i- Hey! Look someone is there!" said Kotetsu using the binoculars to see who they were. But before he could focus his binoculars to see who they were, they were snatched away by Izumo. "Who?"

"What, are you blind or something? Can't yo-" said Kotetsu before pausing as he saw that the place where the mysterious person were, there was now….no one.

"How is this possible…?" asked Kotetsu in disbelief while trying to clean his binoculars' lenses with a handkerchief.

"Are you sure you are not hallucinating? Maybe the heat has got to your mind." Said Izumo mockingly.

"No, he is not hallucinating." said another voice from behind them both.

They both turned around defensively to see who has dared to enter in Konoha without their permission and got face to face with Jiraya, the sannin.

"Ji-Jiraya-sama, why did you sneak inside? Its not like we would have stopped you or something." Said Kotetsu trying to sound official.

"Yeah, I could have come from the doors….but where is the fun in doing things the normal way?" asked the man with a mischievous smile. "Also, I have heard that Konoha is producing some beauties and also that today is the mix bath day! BEWARE BEAUTIES JIRAYA-SAMA IS COMING!" shouted Jiraya while giving his self-exclaimed super cool pose.

Then suddenly a stone felled on the sage's head making a swollen bulge there.

"Save some things to decrease your value further, Ero-sennin" said a young voice fom behind the sage. Something about the voice didn't seem right, as if, it was more mature than it should be.

When Izumo and Kotetsu tried to see the source of said voice they only saw the back of said person, but when they noticed the spiky blond hair they realized who he was.

They saw in astonishment how the sage and the boy walked towards the village, with the former murmuring about 'some ungrateful blonds who could not respect the wonders of a female body'.

"Do you think that the boy is….." started Izumo not sure of himself.

Kotetsu nodded "I think we should tell the hokage about this."

Izumo agreed and write a notice to send to hokage.

* * *

(Hokage's office)

Sarutobi was in his office dealing with the tortu- err, paper work as usual. Suddenly a pigeon came to the window and knocked it with its beaks. He paused his work, happy of having a break even if it would be short, and opened the window. The pigeon flied inside and sat on the hokage's extended hand. He noticed a message tied around the bird's legs and untied it. He then began to read the message….and a smile found its way towards his lips. He then patted the pigeon and it flied away through the window again.

Sarutobi sat on his desk in a relatively happy mood and resumed his work. After 5-10 min. a knock came to his door.

"Come in." he said while doing his paperwork, however his attention was now focused on the visitors outside his office.

The door opened and it revealed Jiraya with a blond boy chatting with each other. They noticed that Sarutoi's eyes were fixed on them or rather, on the blond only.

The boy felt unnerved under the calculating gaze of the hokage but soon came to his senses and moved forward towards his desk, along with Jiraya, who saw how under the strong and calculated demeanor of the hokage, Hiruzen was looking at Naruto with a mix of amazement, curiosity and affection.

"Hey sensei what's up?" asked Jiraya casually as if, instead of 11 years they had only been separated for a month or so..

"Jiraya…. It has been 11 years and you still haven't changed." said Sandaime smiling at his student's instincts.

"What can I say sensei, I am awesome like that!" exclaimed Jiraya while giving his self-claimed super cool pose that earned him a punch on his head from Naruto.

"Geez, what foolish kind of man I have as my sensei." Said Naruto arms folded, irritated from Jiraya's act and foolish behavior.

For a second, Hiruzen saw an image of Minato in Naruto's action, his dad used to behave the same way at Jiraya's behavior.

"You disgraced the art of super awesome posing, the _real_ super awesome pose…. IS THIS!" said Naruto jumping on the Hokage's desk while putting his hand in front, stretched to its full length, and the second hand in the opposite direction, while crouching a little, and his face making a stupid look with his tongue stuck out.

'_Looks like he took his personality from Kushina.'_ Thought Hiruzen with a sweatdrop.

"Oh yeah? Your pose is nothing compared to mine!" shouted Jiraya while doing a series of different poses in a front of a stupidified Hiruzen who looked as if he had seen his worst nightmare becoming true….and in a way, this was the situation indeed.

"Another Jiraya…!? Crap, I should have thought about it when I first agreed to Nara's proposition…" muttered Sarutobi while slapping his hand on head.

"Man…this job's income is seriously mismatched with the tension it creates." Said Sarutobi to himself while he looked at the pile of paperwork left on his desk with a mixture of disgust and…fear?

"Enough!" exclaimed Hiruzen with a voice containing authority and firmness.

That one word changed the environment of the room, completely. Both the student and the teacher were no longer fooling around and stood properly with both hands at back, the look of calm and seriousness gracing their features.

Hiruzen blinked at the sudden change of demeanor but decided to let it go. He stood up and went to Naruto, and patted his head while giving him a grandfatherly smile.

"You have grown, Naruto. I am sure your travels with my student were not so troublesome…

* * *

Somewhere in a forest filled with deers, a boy with a pineapple shaped haircut suddenly sneezed, waking up from his dream…..in which he was lying on the ground while doing nothing but watching clouds move away in the eternal sky.

AAAAAAAAAACHHOO!

"Aaah…troublesome" he murmured and then slept again.

* * *

Naruto stared at the old man with a look of pure admiration.

This is the man that everybody respect, this is the man that every ninja wants to be, this is the man who has the greatest authority in the village, all-in-all….this is the man that Naruto wants to be.

"No Sandaime-sama, in fact, they were very pleasant and I learned a lot from him." said Naruto while looking at Jiraya from the corners of his eye. "No matter how foolish he looks from his acts, he is still one of the most powerful and caring person I have ever met. He is my family, no matter what anyone says."

'_You don't know how right you are, Naruto'_

"I am glad to hear that. Well, its time for your genin exam. I am sure you'll be a great ninja like your sensei." _And a great man like your father. _Added Sarutobi inwardly.

" Don't worry old man! I would be an awesome ninja, whose fame would reach to the corners of the world, whose enemies would tremble at the mention of his mere name, a ninja to be reckoned with, I would be a force with no boundaries BELIEVE IT!"

Sarutobi only smiled and nodded, and went back to his chair.

**(A/N: OST UZUMAKI plays)**

"Com'on Naruto, you have a test to perform." Said Jiraya while going back through the door. Naruto began to follow him but stopped midway. He looked back, with a look of pure determination and confidence in his eyes. "Look out for me old man, I am going to be the next hokage and the best one ever!" he said with a small smile, indicating towards himself with his thumb.

He then left the office, leaving an amazed Sarutobi behind.

(**A/N: OST END)**

* * *

(At the Ninja Academy)

Today was a very special day for the ninja academy students. Today was the day some would leave the academy for ever and begins his/her journey of life, will make mistakes and would learn from said mistakes, would bring honor to their family and village, and move forward the will of fire, and some would return to this academy to correct their mistakes and try again harder than ever.

Today was going to be the day that would change everything…..

"SAASUUUKKEEEE-KUUUUUN" squealed most of the girls of the class when the said boy entered the class-room.

…well almost everything.

This year's batch was the most talented one they had seen in a long time, and they had many hopes from them. They were all children of some major clans but what make them stand apart were their individual skills, they were one of the best ever produced by their clans, true, but they also had the will and drive to move forward, they knew the virtue of hard work and were focused on their respective goals. Even the dead last of this group could give an experienced genin a run for his money with some proper advice.

The said batch was waiting in their classroom with some other kids belonging to civilian families for their teacher, Iruka Umino, to come and start the exams so that they could finally be genin.

"Man…why is Iruka sensei late? He never gets late on those boring lecture days!"

Asked a boy with spiky black hair and feral expressions. He had normal height and a good figure that seems to have been kept in shape through constant training. He had a hood covering most of his hair and also had a white puppy in his hands. A sleeping kid with a pineapple shaped haircut cracked open one of his eyes and looked at the feral looking boy with a bored look, "how would I know? Like you said, Kiba, he never got late before today…"

"Maybe, MUNCH MUNCH, he is just bussy, MUNCH MUNCH, in doing his breakfast…?" said a fat kid while savoring his bag full of chips.

"Heh, we are talking about Iruka sensei, not you Chouji." said Kiba with a mock expression on his face.

"What do you think Shikamaru…?" asked Chouji to the sleeping boy. "Will we be able to pass the test? I heard they are quite challenging."

Shikamaru sat up with a sleepy look and looked at Chouji, "Yes, I am certain we will pass this test. You probably heard that from some civilian children who had no talent and wanted to be ninjas. Indeed, the exams are tough, but for those who do not have a ninja background, or at least, do not have someone examining and guiding them at home, only civilians with real talent can pass this test, but for those from ninja backgrounds, this test should be a piece of cake. Look at Sakura, she is from a civilian family and yet she looks more confident than you."

Chouji looked at the said pinkette and then looked back to his friend, nodding in understanding.

At the seats ahead them, two girls were fighting with each other. One blond with a purple tight-fitting zipper top unzipped, and a white T-shirt underneath along with tight black jeans and another, a girl with pink hair wearing a pink top and black skirt contrasting with her waist length hair.

"Get away from him forehead! Sasuke-kun only wants to be with his Ino-chan!" said Ino while pushing the pinkette with his hands before being pushed away by the said girl.

"Like in hell, Ino-pig, Sasuke-kun only wants to be with me, his and only his Sakura-chan!" said Sakura while trying to maintain her ground against her rival, Ino.

"I don't want to be with either one of you. Go away and leave me in peace. I have no time for this foolishness." exclaimed a boy with dark, raven hair which was spiky at the end and plain at the start. He was wearing a red full sleeved zipper shirt with raised collar whose sleeves were rolled to be just below the elbows and a symbol of a fan, half white and half red. He wore a black T-shirt underneath the zipper shirt and white tight-fitting denim as lower.

"Oh! He is so hot!" squealed both girls at the same time making the Uchiha to develop a tick mark on his forehead.

Then suddenly the door opened and a man with a pineapple hair cut, resembling to Shikamaru, and a standard konoha chunin uniform, entered.

"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! SAKURA, INO SIT DOWN ON YOUR SEATS! ON YOUR SEATS NOT ON SAKUE'S LAP DAMN IT!" shouted the man while using a jutsu that made his head super large and his voice to eco throughout the room.

All the students obeyed while Sakura and Ino sat on their seats while pouting.

The teacher smile, "Today, we have a new entry in our class. He is recommended by the hokage himself. Apparently, he was out of konoha for several years for personal reasons while constantly receiving training like the one you all received. Please make him comfortable in the class. I suggest you to know him as soon as possible, he could be one of your teammate after all. I have to go for a few minutes for making some arrangements for him, make him comfortable in my absence."

All the students were curious to know this mystery student. He was recommended by the hokage? Then he must quite be something.

"You can come in." said the teacher while looking through the door.

A boy entered through the door. He had blond spiky hair that reached his forehead, brilliant blue eyes and whisker marks on his cheeks. His height was above average and he had quite a good figure, actually better than the Inuzuka boy. He wore a blue hoodie biker blazer jacket top, and had a white long tight-fitting T-shirt underneath. He had black denim as his lower and had two black short bo-staffs placed horizontly on his belt area above his shuriken holder. His jacket had an orange swirl like pattern on it's right sleeve. He looked quite mature for his age, something that make the girls of the class blush, he had quite a shocking resemblance with the yondaime hokage, something that only Sasuke and Shikamaru noticed.

"Hello everyone. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I have wandered throughout the elemental nations with my godfather, my only relative left after my father and mother died when I was born….." he said receiving a empathizing look from everyone but the Uchiha, who looked away trying to contain his memories from leaking out.

"...I had learned many things from him and I want to learn more, therefore, I came to this village, my home village. I am sure we will be great friends throughout life." finished Naruto bowing a little. He sighed and congratulated himself to have successfully spoken out the little speech he had readied beforehand.

All the students gave him a smile and he went to the only seat vacant in the class, and sat along with a girl who had black hair that had a purple streak to them and reached to her waist. The girl was cute but the most astonishing feature of her was her eyes. The irises of her eyes were bigger than average and were light purple in color with no pupil.

"I guess the seat is vacant, miss….."

"Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga. Nice to meet you." said the girl extending her hand. Naruto shook her hand happily.

"The feeling is mutual Hinata-san."

Said girl frowned slightly before her calm and shy demeanor returned. "No need for formalities Naruto-kun. We are friends after all" Naruto blushed a little at the –Kun remark but smiled as he realized it was just a friendly gesture.

"Thanks Hinata-chan." He said and they continued to talk about various things.

Their talk continued until they heard the door open and Iruka walked in with a set of papers in his hands.

"Ok class, get ready for your gennin exams."

* * *

(At the gates of the academy)

The grounds of the academy were littering with parents came to congratulate their child who passed the test, and some other who came to support and comfort their children who failed and to encourage them to give it their all next time.

Through the gates of the academy emerged Naruto with a black konoha hitai-ate around his neck, along with Hinata who had his blue hitai-ate in the same style as Naruto. They were talking to each other as they came to the grounds.

Then, a man in traditional robes came along with a boy who wore a white shirt, with khaki pants. Both the man and the boy had resembling face, both had long black hair reaching their feet, but more importantly, both had byakugan eyes, the same as Hinata.

"Hinata-san, congratulations for passing the test. I see that you have made a new friend." Said the boy while the man observed Naruto with a calculating gaze, as if trying to remember something.

"Thanks Neji-san and yes. He is a new-comer, his name is Naruto." Said Hinata before looking towards the said blond "Naruto-kun, this is Neji Hyuuga, my cousin, a prodigy of Hyuuga clan and my senior." She said all those things with happiness and pride.

"Hinata-san….." he smiled before looking towards Naruto and extending his hand towards him. The blond shook Neji's arm but cringed when the elder boy tightened his hold, squishing his hand. In return, Naruto smirked and also tightened his hold making the elder boy frown and then, smirk.

"I hope you enjoy yourself in konoha, Naruto….?"

"Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki." The blond answered the unasked question.

At that moment the man beside Neji gasped but soon regained his 'a prick with a stick in ass' posture.

"I see….well its time to go, Hinata." said the man while turning and walking away with Neji in tow.

"Yes father." Said Hinata.

"Father!? He is your father?" asked Naruto a little surprised to hear that. Not that he didn't believe her, its just….he never thought her father would go away quietly without questioning him, after all, fathers are overprotective for their daughters. Even deadlier for cute daughters. Maybe, he thought that Neji was sufficient…? Well, he _is_ a little scary.

Hinata nodded, "I'll see you later Naruto-kun." She said while waving a goodbye to him.

"see ya." Said Naruto while going his own way.

'_Jiraya would be happy to see my new hitai-ate. Today we will celebrate by eating…Oh Yeah! RAMEN!'_

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter will deal with team plotting and some more character developing. Any suggestions for teams are welcome. Not that I need them, but I am willing to add what my readers want in this fic, so grab the opportunity as soon as possible!

**Memorable Moment:**

**(A/N: OST UZUMAKI plays)**

"Com'on Naruto, you have a test to perform." Said Jiraya while going back through the door. Naruto began to follow him but stopped midway. He looked back, with a look of pure determination and confidence in his eyes. "Look out for me old man, I am going to be the next hokage and the best one ever!" he said with a small smile, indicating towards himself with his thumb.

He then left the office, leaving an amazed Sarutobi behind.

(**A/N: OST END)**

**Rate & Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Teams

**Author's Note: **Sorry guys this chapter came later than I would have liked, but it can't be helped... I tried to finish it as soon as possible. But i can't judge the results, it's your work after all ;)

Now on to the chapter.

* * *

**Bonds**

_**Ch.4**_

_**Teams…**_

In a sewer full of contaminated water, whose level reached to the knees, a blond boy stood with hands in his pocket. His face completely void of any emotions, he stood there as if he is the king of this place….that he was.

The boy began to move, the water rippling as he walked on it. Soon, he reached a chamber, completely empty, the only thing that occupied the space of the chamber was a large cage whose bars seems to be stretched to eternity itself. In the middle of the cage-bars was a circle with a paper, with kanji of _seal,_ in the middle of it.

The boy began to move towards the cage. Suddenly, in what previously seemed to be complete darkness inside the cage, a single eye flicked open. What made the eye fearsome, was not the fact that it was larger than the boy himself, nor was it's deep crimson color reminding the boy of blood, it was what was inside the eyes…_pure hatred._

The eye searched the room until it focused on the boy. Then, the owner of the eye grinned. The grin showed all the super sharp, razor-like teeth of that…thing. That view alone was enough to make a regular boy scream and piss in his pants, but Naruto was no regular boy.

The owner of that eye and jaw-set, stood to it's full length. It's sheer size was enough to tower the hokage monument. It swated it's nine tails in a mocking manner and took his face towards the cage-bars.

"**Hello, kit. Long time no see. Have you again gotten your ass kicked by some weakling and came here willing to get some chakra…..? Man, why do I have to be sealed in a weakling?" **roared the kyuubi.

"Because, you was weaker than the yondaime, a human. Wasn't we human were an inferior race in comparison to you?" said the blond mockingly, with a slight grin.

The kyuubi frowned. It glared at Naruto with all its might, and then….it laughed.

The kyuubi roared in laughter and felled on it's back laughing, using his tails as a sort of cusion.

"**You puny humans and your false pride..." **It mustered while laughing madly.

"**You seriously think that your father was stronger than me? All right, I **_**confess**_** that I'm weaker than Minato. Happy? But what does it changed? You are still a weakling. You may be a competition for an inexperienced chunin ninja, but you are not even a cannon fodder in front of the weakest jonin, let alone me, the mightiest of all bijuus, the very being of evil and power." **said kyuubi witha serious voice this time.

"Yeah, yeah. I am weaker than my dad was when he was 12, I am not worthy of being called a namikaze, let alone an Uzumaki BLAH. BLAH….." said Naruto while setting his hair with the reflection of the water, much to the kyuubi's chagrin and Naruto's amusment.

"…..I received this speech so much from you, that I can remember it word by word even in after suffering from amnesia."

"**And still you are an asshole."** Deadpanned the kyuubi with a bored expression and closed it's eyelids. **"Now, go away and let me sleep, Brain-dead"**

"Whatever, fur-ball" mocked Naruto while going away from the chamber.

A grunt was the only reply he got.

* * *

(At Naruto's and Jiraya's apartment)

Naruto woke up from his slumber. Stretching his hands and yawning, he stood up and got the bathroom to get ready for the academy. He got the bathroom and blushed heavily. There was a poster of two nude women holding hands and pushing their bodies to each other in a provocative pose, pasted on the wall. His eyes twitched as he felt something grow in his pants.

"ERO-SEEENIIIIIIIINNNNN!"

AAACHOOOOOO!

"Looks like someone is talking about me. Wait! What's this killing intent? Is the village under attack!?"

Asked Jiraya to himself. Apparently, he had forgotten that he was peeping in the ladies spa when he sneezed. The truth was, the village was not under attack…..only Jiraya was.

* * *

(At the academy)

Naruto entered the academy and the classroom hoping to find the seat besides Hinata. He searched and found her sitting with a boy with two triangle marks on his cheeks and a white puppy in his arms.

They were talking to each other quite happily.

'_Maybe he's an old friend?'_

Thought Naruto, and took the seat besides a stoic boy with a hair-style resembling of a duck's butt.

The boy looked at Naruto and Naruto looked back at the boy.

They continued to stare at each other, until Naruto decided to break the silence.

"Hey, buddy my name is Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet ya!" said Naruto while extending his hand.

The boy seemed to be lost in thought, but in the end grab the hand and shook it lighly.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto's shock was beyond words.

'_So _he_ is Sasuke Uchiha…..I never thought I would meet him so soon, not in this scenario at least….'_

However, the Uchiha was lost in his thoughts to notice the shock on Naruto's face.

Naruto frowned at this "What are you thinking about?"

Sasuke looked at him with a cold stare that made the blond gulp

"I was just wondering who would be my team mates."

'_He is scary….and looks just like _him' thought Naruto while seeing the Uchiha warily.

"Hmm…so is there anyone you would like to be in your team?"

"None." Replied Sasuke coldly, without even thinking or hesitating for even a second.

Naruto looked at him with a sympathetic expression.

'_This guy has suffered a lot. He doesn't trust anyone now. How can he? His own blood has betrayed him'_

"You know Sasuke, during my travels I had met with a lot of people, some foolish, some wise. One of the wiser people, a rogue ninja, told me something…something that has been in my heart since then. He told me – 'The biggest curse of humans is ego. When ego is hurt, it leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to destruction. Someone's actions hurt a person, that person, in anger, hurts the previous one. That person's friends and family then tries to hurt the previous person, and the cycle continues to go on.' But this is not a cycle of hate, anger or destruction…"

Sasuke rose an eyebrow. If it's not a cycle of destruction, hate or anger, then what could it be? Until….

"…it's a cycle of revenge. Revenge only leads to destruction. Not only of the one you hate, but of your soul too." Said Naruto while looking into Sasuke's eyes. He putted his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and continued.

"I know what happened with you..." those words made the uchiha frown. Why was this boy bringing back old memories? What does he want?

"….and believe me, nothing good will come while following this path….you..you should forgive him. A ninja is a one who endures, that's what my godfather taught me. Don't walk on his path…don't be his puppet. Prove him wrong…show him you can and you will be strong and happy without the hate in your heart. And then and only then shall he learn your wroth. For you are a worthy ninja."

(**A/N: OST Avenger plays)**

Sasuke's face turned into a cold one. His eyes burning with a cold fury of hate, anger and….grief? His body emitting a dangerous amount of killing intent.

"Oh yeah? You think that you know what you are saying…? NO! You don't have any idea of what you are saying! Those….are just hollow words…devoid of any emotions….any experience." Said Sauske while covering half of his face with his hand…a gesture to try to forget some unpleasant memories.

At this point, eyes of all the students were on them. The killing intent radiating from Sasuke was simply too dense to ignore.

"You know what I went through? My brother massacred my clan! My whole fucking clan just to check his powers! How….how can you expect me to forgive him?" he stood up with shaky legs.

"Shut up Sasuke, you sounds like a stupid kid ruled by his emotions!" countered Naruto standing up too. Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Shino all tensed up and readied in case any fight broke out.

"If you think I'm just a foolish kid ruled by his emotions, that's fine. Following Itachi's path would have been too childish, the whispering of fools who don't know hatred. If anyone else tries to ridicule the way I live, I'll slaughter everyone they ever cared about. And then maybe they'll understand what it's like to taste... a little of my hatred."

The words itself were not that much intimidating but when mixed with the broken, cold voice of Sasuke, those words sounded like the message of the death god itself. As if the shinigami itself had came to slaughter each and every life on the planet.

A sweat formed on Naruto's forehead. He didn't wanted to provoke Sasuke, he just wanted to tell him how bad it can end if he continues to chase his revenge.

**(A/N: OST ends)**

**(A/N: OST loneliness plays)**

"The pain of being lonely... is out of this world." Said Sasuke while moving towards the doors, his hand grabbed the handle of the door when he looked back and saw Naruto. His sorrowful eyes conveying each and every message Naruto needed. He went through the door without shutting it.

"Oh! Sorry kids I got late again, I had some paperwo-" started Iruka, but he stopped when he saw Sasuke going somewhere. He felt the intensity in the class and a sweating Naruto standing while every eye was on him.

He decided to call it a break.

(**A/N: loneliness ends)**

* * *

(After the break)

The mood of the class had been fine again, after the break. But they were still wary of Naruto's or Sasuke's moods.

Naruto had decided against shifting his seat, and as a result still sit with Sasuke. However, no talking was going on between them. They were ignoring each other, as if the person besides them doesn't even exists.

Iruka, this time, was already in the class.

"All right class, I don't know what happened before the break and I don't intend to know it. But it's a once-in-a-lifetime day. So be happier and see who would be your new teammates." Said Iruka while holding a block of papers. He then took one sheet from it and started to read out the teams and their respective jounin senseis. However, he stopped once it reached to team seven. He looked from the paper to Naruto and Sasuke, then to the paper, and then again to Naruto and Sasuke, and finally again to the paper.

"Team 7 will consist of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno…."

"OH YES!" jumped Sakura in delight and all the girls but Hinata moaned in defeat and frustration.

"…and Naruto Uzumaki." and that dropped the bomb.

Naruto's head shot up from his relaxed position, Sasuke looked at Iruka in disbelief, and Sakura stopped her jumping and frowned.

"Your jounin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

"Team 8 will be made of Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inazuka, and Shino Aburame. Your jounin sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi"

"Team 9 is still continuing from last year, so we will directly go to Team 10, which will be made of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi. Your jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi." Finished Iruka while putting the papers in his desk.

"That's all. I hope you remember the last speech I gave, never let your will of fire be drowned and always pass out this fire to new generation. Good bye to all of you! I hope you will be some awesome ninjas whose fame will reach throughout the world."

Said Iruka and went through the door to finish the paperwork of teams assignment, and to question the Hokage about team 7

* * *

(After 10 min.)

All the teams had gone with their respective sensei. The only one left were team 7, 8 and10.

Sakura and Ino were fighting over Sasuke, a fight which Sakura was apparently winning. A boon of being on Sasuke's team.

Shino and Kiba were talking among each other, the former wearing black shinobi trousers and a light grey jacket with raised collars. Shikamaru was listening to Chouji's talks, Naruto and Hinata were talking to each other. Hinata had acted smart and sat between Naruto and Sasuke to prevent any further _talk._

Speaking of Sasuke….he was just sitting idle. Staring blankly into nothingness, trying to block the access of the foul memories of past. He passed a glance to Naruto in once a minute, an act that was copied by Naruto too.

Suddenly, the door opened and a tall bulky man, with standard jounin uniform and a sash with a kanji of 'fire' on it, walked in talking to a gorgeous women with long black hair and blood shot red eyes with a an additional ring to it. She was dressed in a mesh armour blouse and bandages over her thighs and hands, with a kimono of bandage's pattern over her body.

"Team 10, come with me." Said the bulky man while lighting a cigar. An act that earned him a few glares from the women and Ino.

"Team 8, come meet me at training ground 8." Said the beauty and left in a shunshin.

The members of the respective teams obeyed and left the class, leaving the members of team 7 to fend for themselves.

A few minutes passed and none of them tried to talk to each other. A fact that irritated Sakura to her core. She was with _Sasuke. Her _Sasuke. He was in the same team as her and she can't even talk to him!? What the Fuck!

But she can't help the circumstances. She was no fool. Yes, she was a childish and obsessive girl when it comes to her Sasuke-kun, but otherwise, she was smart and responsible girl who can understand the situation and act according to it.

Still…..the silence was a bit disturbing. She made the first effort to break the ice.

"So Naruto, who is this godfather of yours with whom you were travelling…?" she asked the blond, a futile attempt to start a conversation. It worked however.

"You probably know him already…." He said with a smirk, earning the attention of both Sakura and Sasuke.

"…..He is one of the legendary sanin, the one and only, toad sage Jiraya." Said Naruto with a hint of pride in his voice.

Sakura looked at him in disbelief, and Sasuke just looked at Naruto with a new found interest.

"Are you serious…!? The legendary Jiraya is your godfather..!? but wouldn't that mean that…you….."

"Hehe, no, no, you got me wrong. My godfather is Jiraya but I am not related with yondaime. I am the son of a very dear friend of Jiraya, who was killed in the kyuubi attack and left a will stating that Jiraya is my godfather, with his approval ofcourse." _At least, you will be told that for now_

"Still, you must be strong, after being under his tutelage for years…" asked Sasuke leaving his usual emo mood for once.

Naruto looked at him and gave him an empty nod. His thoughts dwindled between apologizing to him and telling him the truth. In the end, he decided to choose the middle ground and took his chance.

"Sasuke…are you still angry of the things I said..? Look buddy I didn't mean to hurt you…I just-"

"Naruto…."Started Sasuke cutting Naruto from further words "I am not angry on you. You just voiced your opinion. I am not some fantasy fool who is obsessed with mindless revenge." Naruto's face adopted a look of confusion. However, he wasn't able to ask any question as Sasuke himself answered his unasked query, "Yes, I do hate my brother for what he did..but…unlike him, I am a true leaf shinobi, how can I say I'm better than him if I turn my friends away like that?" Said Sasuke with a determined face. "I'll still revenge my clan, I'll still kill my brother, but not like a rabid beast, like a ninja. I know I don't hold even a candle against my brother, but I'll attain power…enough power to kill him…enough power to restore my clan…enough power to free my life from the evil clutches of my brother, and to shape it to my will."

Naruto grinned and nodded. He was sure he can help him in his last goal atleast.

Now, as the tention has vanished from the air, Sakura decided to tease Naruto a little..She looked at him with a mischievous smile. "Ano, Naruto do you have any girlfriend?"

Naruto reddened a bit at that question. "Wh-What? Hell no! I am too young to be in a relationship. And besides, I am no good with girls."

"Really? You should see yourself when you are talking with Hinata…" Said Sakura trying to sound innocent, and failing epically.

"H-Hey! She is just a friend!" _a cute and hot one but still just a friend…..yet._

"Oh com'on! Don't be shy. learn something from Sasuke-kun. He always knows how to charm a girl and he never misses to show his affection for me. Am I right Sasuke-kun..?" she asked in a playful, tender voice.

"Hmph. I couldn't care less. However,…" he said while looking at Naruto with a challenging look, and ignoring Sakura's whimpers.

"…..I am interested in testing the strength of a sanin's student." And that started the staring contest.

Both Naruto and Sasuke, were staring at each other with all their might and smirked at the same time. While, epically ignoring a crying Sakura, beating the hell out of her desk for the loss of her Sasuke-un.

That was the scene that a dumbfounded Kakashi observed when he entered the room.

"Hmmm...how do I put this? My first impression of this group...you're a bunch of idiots." Said the Jounin scaring the soon-to-be genins shitless.

'_Wow…I never sensed him coming. And his speed…..so this is the Kakashi Hatake…'_thought Naruto while observing the jounin.

Sasuke and Sakura were having the same thought, and copied Naruto to observe their soon-to-be sensei.

Kakashi sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "come meet me at roof-top." He said and sunshined away.

Team 7 followed, and went to roof-top the traditional way, i.e., the stairs.

On the roof-top, they sat on the railing around a tree, their sensei looking nostalgically at the fourth hokage's face.

Kakashi turned towards them and gave them an eye-smile.

"I think we should start with an introduction to better know each other." He said

Sakura frowned "But sensei, what are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like, things you hate, your dreams for future, your hobbies and all that.."

"Why don't you give us a preview? We don't know a thing about you." Said Sakura with hands folded. Sasuke and Naruto nodded in agreement.

'_Hmm..she didn't revealed her knowledge, instead tried to gain some information from other person. Nice work. She is indeed as smart as records say…'_

"Oh...me? My name is Kakashi Hatake. What I like...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...hmm...never really thought about that...as for my hobbies...well, I have a lot of hobbies."

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all looked at him dumbfounded.

"What the!? You hadn't told us anything useful besides your name!" Exclaimed Sakura. However, Kakashi ignored her, much to Sakura's irritation and Naruto's laughter. A heated glare from the pinkette silenced the blond.

"Now let's start with you guys….ummm…why don't we start with you?" he said casually while pointing towards Sakura.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like reading books, helping people when they are hurt, and (looks at Sasuke and giggled) Sasuke-kun. My future plans are (looks at Sasuke and squeled). What I hate are loudmouth people and people who dares to object my Sasuke-kun."

Kakashi blinked and rubbed his visible eye. _'Kami, this girl has Sasuke on his mind'_

"Your turn now." He said to Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I dislike, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It is pointless to talk about "dreams"...That's just a word...But one thing I have is determination. I am going to restore my clan and there is a certain someone who I have sworn...to kill." Said Sasuke with his usual stoic voice. He passed a glance to Naruto who was apparently looking at him with a passive face.

Both Naruto and Kakashi sighed at the same time.

"That leaves you." Said Kakashi to Naruto. _'Let's see how you grew up'_

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like training with my staffs, eating different variety of food, Ero-senin, travelling to different places, and strong willed people who fight for their believes. I hate coward people who hide their fear behind the blanket of excuses, people who thinks that they are superior to others and those who like to hurt others because they are hurt by someone else . My dream….is not a dream, it's a mission. I will become Hokage…the best one you had ever seen! Not for popularity but for morality. I wants to bring peace to this world and for that I'm going to attain as much power as I can, for power is needed to suppress the evil and to enforce peace."

Kakashi was amazed…literally. He putted his hands in his pocket, to stop them from hugging Naruto in his happiness and admiration. _'Jiraya-san….you grew him well….just like his father.' _

"Hmm..Nice ambitions. Just remember to not to forget your morals…the higher the person reaches the more evil it tends to become…break that chain and you shall achieve your goal."

He took out a book from his pocket and flipped it open in front of his face, his eyes focusing on the words of the book.

Naruto paled at seeing the cover of the book. He glanced at Sakura who was sitting at his side. He sighed in relief when he recognized the confused expression on her face. She didn't know about the book. And Naruto didn't plan to tell her too, after all Ero-Senin had taken a lot of beating for this book, and strangely all the beatings came from the female gender. Males worshiped his work.

"Meet me tomorrow at training grounds 7, at 7:30 sharp. Oh, and don't eat breakfast. Believe me, you will regret it if you do." Said Kakashi before sunshining away.

All of team 7 frowned "What did he mean when he said we'll regret it?" asked a confused Naruto. However, his query remained unsolved as none of them had any answer to that.

"Heh, looks like we'll have an interesting day tomorrow. See you later." He said while walking away to his homes with hands in his pockets.

Sakura waved a goodbye to Naruto before heading to her own home.

Soon, Naruto followed the suit and went down the stairs before heading to his own home. He had some things to discuss with Jiraya.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Now, as the story has reached to this point, I am sure you have adapted to my try to stimulate OSTs in fanfics. It's a trick I learned from one of my fav. writers and I finds it quite interesting. I always listen to those OSTs when writing that particular section, and I suggest my readers to do the same, it will help in understanding the depth of situation.

I am telling you in advance that next chapter can take a week or two to come, but it will be done till the 4th week so no worries :)

and last but not the least, please review the story. Your reviews helps we authors to continue the story as it gives confidence and motivation to continue the story.

write you later.


	5. Chapter 5: Team 7

**A/N: **Hey guys I am back! I know it took a lot of time on my part to upload this chapter but it was out of my control. My PC's windows got corrupt and I had to write the chapter from starting! Also as it is my first fighting scene, it took a lot of imagination to finally get what I wanted.

Now for some reviews:

**Thor94: **I do not plan to make Naruto dumb. While, he would not be as smart as Shikamaru or Sakura, he would definitely be smarter than his canon self.

**Guest: **I think you are right. That _is_ hilarious. But, Itachi is still a missing nin in this story and I can't see any conventional way to knock him up with either of them without making him confront Team 7, which has to wait a little bit.

**Krym: **The amnesia was not supposed to be taken literally. It was just a mocking expression Naruto used to mock Kyuubi. And on your other suggestion, well, I don't think those things suit Naruto as much as they will suit some other characters.

And thanks to all the nice reviewers who liked my story and motivated me with nice reviews. It's because of people like you, we authors are able to put aside our personal fun and work on the story, truly determined. You guys are awesome!

Now, onto the story.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_**Bonds**_

_**Ch.5**_

_**Team 7…**_

The sun shone brightly in the sky, its ethereal golden haze falling on a face. The face was of a boy, whiskered with six fox-like marks, three on each cheek. His blond hair rivaling the ethereal golden gleam of the sun with its own beautiful color.

He shifted in his bed, lying on his belly, his face facing the alarm clock.

A big mistake.

The alarm clock rang, startling the blond. He opened his eyes in worry, revealing his beautiful eyes with gleaming blue irises to the world. He stood up on his bed in panic, holding the alarm clock as a weapon. He soon gained his senses and looked at the alarm clock.

"Oh Shit! I am late for my first team assignment!" shouted Naruto at himself rushing to his bathroom.

"Ero-senin, don't make my breakfast! Kakashi-sesnei told us to not to eat it today!" shouted Naruto to Jiraya. A snicker from the kitchen area was his reply.

"Got it Gaki!" shouted Jiraya from the kitchen, making a breakfast for himself.

Naruto got out the bathroom wearing his usual black lower and full-sleeved white fitting T-shirt. He threw on his blue hoodie biker blazer jacket and settled his hair with his hands only. Once satisfied, he got out from his room and passed through kitchen.

"Why didn't you woke me up?" he asked to Jiraya who beamed him a grin showing all of his teeth.

"You will know Gaki, you will know…" he said while eating his breakfast.

A dumbfounded Naruto watched him eat his breakfast. Naruto then sighed and putted his shoes on. He walked towards a large photograph of him and Jiraya sitting under a large tree while enjoying an ice-cream together. They were lucky that one of the travelers walking through the road happened to be Jiraya's fan. He clicked this awesome pic and asked for Jiraya's autograph. Jiraya, upon seeing the photo, immediately asked him to give him a copy of it. The man was more than happy to obey.

Naruto proceeded towards the pic and putted his hand on the image of his bag lying on the ground. He channeled some chakra and a seal appeared on the image of the bag. The seal glowed and then vanished. Naruto pushed his hand a little and suddenly a compartment opened inside the pic. In that compartment were Naruto's favorite weapons, his dual short bo-staffs. Both the staffs were longer than a tanto but smaller than a katana. Naruto took both of them in one hand and took out a scroll in the other one. He then flipped the scroll open and sealed away his staffs in them. They were for the time when he was losing badly; he would not use them for just show off. After all, deception is a ninja's true weapon.

He then quickly exited the house and ran through streets in the direction of his designated training ground.

'_It will take too much time like this.' _Thought Naruto and leapt on a pole. He started running vertically upwards and began to leap to buildings' roofs. He jumped from roof to roof seeming like a blur to untrained eyes. He finally reached his destination and leapt down from the building and started to walk towards the gates of the grounds.

He ran inside the ground and quickly caught up with Sasuke and Sakura who were apparently waiting for him and Kakashi.

"What took you so long, Dobe?" asked Sasuke with clear irritation.

"Sorry guys, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way…" said Naruto while rubbing the back of his head.

Sasuke gave him a dumbfounded look and Sakura gave him a punch on his head. "Stop making excuses you idiot! Do you know how late you are?!"

"Hey, Sensei is still not here so technically I am not late!" Shouted Naruto, while trying to dodge Sakura's wrath, and failing miserably.

"Uhh…why do I have to be in a team of idiots?" said Sasuke to himself, and slumped down on the side of a tree.

* * *

(After 1 hour)

Kakashi finally arrived at the training ground 7. He entered the ground and saw _very_ angry team 7 waiting for him.

"Yo" he said with a two fingered salute. The temperature of the training ground suddenly dropped several degrees. The squirrels hide in their homes and birds flew away.

Sasuke, a _very_ grumpy Sasuke, looked at Kakashi with cold rage, "You are 2 hours late. I hope you have a good excuse for this." He said while crackling his knuckles.

Naruto agreed while crackling his stiffed neck and Sakura by giving Kakashi a very pleasant smile with empty eyes….which made Kakashi gulp.

"Oh that..well, a black cat suddenly crossed my path and I had to take the long way to get here…" said Kakashi while giving them an eye-smile.

Sasuke's and Sakura's jaw dropped on the ground. They turned to look Naruto who was giving a gaping fish expression to the copy-nin.

Kakashi sweatdropped at the scene but let it go. "Ok now back on the topic. Today you have your survival test that will decide whether make into a genin or not." He said with hands on his waist.

"What! But we did it in the academy!" Shouted Naruto

Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement.

"What you did was just a test to filter out those who have potential to be a genin. However, this test would define if you would be one or not." Kakashi then pulled out two bells from his pocket and tied them to his belt. "You have to take these bells from me, one for each."

"But there are only two bells and three of us….wait, so you mean…." Started Sakura and got a nod from Kakashi.

"Yes, one of you will not make a genin and will be sent back to the academy."

Dread covered the face of all team 7. All of them looked at each other.

Kakashi then put an alarm clock on one of the three wooden posts and putted the alarm for 12 of noon. "As you can see, you have only one and a half hour to get the bells." Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all got readied. "Your time starts…..NOW!" exclaimed Kakashi and watched as all of them jumped into the greenery of the trees completely hiding themselves.

"Hmm..so with whom should I start with?" asked Kakashi to himself. He opened his trademark Icha-Icha book and started to read it. "I think I will start with the weakest."

* * *

(With Sakura)

Sakura roamed the training grounds with utmost care, ready for any sort of attack their sensei can throw at her. She walked on the ground seeming carefree but inside she was waiting for the moment should something happens.

'_I don't get it. How can sensei threw only one person out of the team? There is no record of any team consisting of just three members instead of four. What is he trying to do?'_ thought her while keeping her façade.

Suddenly she threw herself at side.

A wise decision. The place she had been a second before was impaled with 5 kunais, all aimed at vital organs_. 'What kind of sick sensei tries to kill his genins on their first test!?' _thought Sakura to herself while rolling on her feet with a kunai of her own in her hand.

She saw Kakashi standing there with a bored expression and his book in his hand. "Hmm..Good reflexes. But, it will not be enough." He finally took a kunai in his free hand.

Sakura developed a tick mark on her head "Keep your book inside Damn it! Or it can hurt you. Badly."

"I don't have to stop reading to counter your weak and slow attacks." Said kakashi.

"Let's see if you can live up to your words." With that Sakura charged at him.

"Clone Jutsu!" She made twenty clones and all of them jumped at each other in order to confuse Kakashi. They keep on jumping at each other as if forming a spider-web, and suddenly all of them charged at Kakashi. All of them going for different organs. The real Sakura was the one aiming for the gut while her free hand going for the bells at his waist; she just can't pull herself to kill her sensei.

However, she only fazed through him as if the copy nin was only a mirage of the original.

'_What the hell? Is it a clone?' _Sakura looked around her and her eye caught something in the tree at her side.

It was a bird, however, it was not moving in the slightest. She was not able to see more as she was forced to move out of the way of two kunais aimed for her neck and spine respectively. She back flipped on the ground to avoid two more kunais and made the ram seal with her hands. "KAI!" shouted Sakura and stopped her chakra system before flooding it with again.

Suddenly her surroundings changed and she found herself in the place she had been before being attacked by Kakashi. She felt something behind her but wasn't fast enough to move out of its way, as a hand struck her neck and she slumped on to the ground, unconscious.

"She saw through my genjutsu faster than I had imagined." Said Kakashi to himself while placing Sakura's unconscious body under a tree. "Now it's time to meet Sasuke." And he vanished in a shunshin.

* * *

(With Sasuke)

Sasuke had decided to adopt the 'wait-and-watch' attitude and as a result was currently hiding under the foliage of the tree with red autumn leaves, his red zipper shirt merging well with the leaves.

'_I can't buy Kakashi's excuse. How can he break the group? And this bell test, it feels very weird. What is he trying to see…? Is he trying to measure our skills? But for that he could have just sparred with us. No, it's something else…but what?' _

Sasuke was forced to stop his musings as two kunais impaled the branch he was sitting at. Two more kunais followed but Sasuke jumped on them, dodged them with a smooth turn and landed with a grace.

He came face to face with Kakashi and adopted his clan fighting style, The Interceptor Fist, posture.

"What do you plan to do sensei? It's obvious that you can't break the team by sending only one person back to the academy. Either you have to disband the whole team or keep all of us. So, what is this test about?"

Kakashi glanced at him and then put his book away in his holder _'I think I'll enjoy fighting with both hands instead of one with this guy.'_ "You will have to find yourself. As for your assumption, I can gladly disband this _whole_ team. Beat me if you can, and I may answer some of your questions."

If Sasuke was worried for being sent to academy, he didn't show it. He charged towards Kakashi and jumped on him trying to deliver a flying side kick on his face. Kakashi blocked the kick with one hand and grabbed his leg, spinning on the spot and throwing Sasuke on the tree.

Sasuke spun mid-air, managing to plant his leg on the bark of tree and using it as a support to jump on Kakashi again with one kunai in each hand. Kakashi readied himself for a duel while taking his own kunais in his hands. However, Kakashi was surprised when instead of locking him in a duel, Sasuke jammed the kunais in the ground, using them as a support, spun his body in air and planted a vertical cartwheel kick on Kakashi's head. But in doing so, Sasuke put himself in a very vulnerable position. Kakashi staggered a bit after receiving the kick but soon exploited Sasuke's position by stomping his stomach. He then proceded to stomp his neck but his leg was caught by Sasuke who threw it back, only to receive a punch at his chest. Sasuke felt winded but pulled his strength and formed quick hand-signs with his hands which were free now, and sucked air harder. Kakashi's visible eye widened before he hastily leapt away from Sasuke.

"Fire Release: Grand Fire Ball"

A fire ball of the size of an elephant came at Kakashi who ran through hand-signs himself. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet" The water dragon crashed with the ball of flames, extinguished it, and continued towards Sasuke. However, Sasuke didn't tried to ran away or dodge the dragon, instead, he ran _towards_ it, much to Kakashi's shock.

Sasuke ran through some hand-signs again and jumped on the dragon. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire" a small but dense fire ball shot out from Sasuke's mouth who threw shurikens in it. The shuriken caught the fire and continued towards Kakashi, who was impressed by Sasuke's skills and the fact that a genin level kid knows more than one elemental jutsu. Kakashi, however, was not a jounin for nothing. He dodged many of them and deflected some with his kunai as the sound of his water dragon crushing the trees and splashing again as water, as the jutsu ran out of chakra, came to his ears.

"Heh. Your weak techniques won't help you here." Said Kakahi in order to provoke Sasuke. But, the smirk on Sasuke's face confused Kakashi. Then Sasuke pulled both his hands back with a force. Kakashi was confused but then he got a glimpse of some ninja wire in his hands. "Oh Shi-" and multiple shurikens grazed his back.

Sasuke walked towards his sensei, "I bonded those shurikens with some ninja wire before using the jutsu." He glanced at his sensei's defeated body "I can't believe you fell for such a trick. Are you really jounin?" Sasuke was going to insult him more but soon noticed something about the corpse. There was no blood.

Suddenly in a 'poof' the body was replaced by a log with shurikens embedded in it.

"Crap" shouted Sasuke as he immediately spun around but saw nothing. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a punch landed on his chest sucking the air out of his lungs. He fell on ground on his knees while clutching his chest. He felt a presence behind him and turned his head to look at the source. It was his sensei with his book again in his hands.

"You putted up a good fight I'll give you that." He said and putted one finger at Sasuke's neck. The finger produced a small voltage current making him unconscious. "But it wasn't enough."

Kakashi then sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Now only one left. If given more time they could have understood the true reason for this exercise but that's the point. There is no leniency in the ninja world. They would have to cope with what they have or they should have the power to change the surroundings to their favor." Said Kakashi to himself reminding himself of Minato's words.

"Minato-sensei….now it's time to test your son." Said Kakashi while seeing in the sky imagining the face of his sensei in the clouds giving him a nod.

Then he vanished with a shunshin leaving Sasuke's unconscious body alone.

* * *

(With Naruto)

Naruto was sitting in a meditating position under a tree with his hands in a ram seal, thinking about the test. _'Hmm… looks like I figured it out.'_ Naruto then stood up, stretched his arms and started to move towards the way he had seen Sakura going to. _'Now I just have to find them.'_

Naruto wandered for two or more minutes before hearing some noises coming from the bushes. He walked towards it cautiously and what he saw made him feel sick. He saw body of Sakura covered with all sort of weapons he could think of. From kunais to long swords, from a senbon to large fuuma shriken, all of her body was covered with bruises and blood running from wounds like water flowing from a tap, drenching her black skirt in crimson blood. She was barely conscious but looked at Naruto nonetheless, "N-Naruto, i-is that y-you? Asked Sakura with a barely audible voice. "H-Help me, the-there are enemies inside t-the village." She said while watching with weak eyes as how Naruto putted her in his arms and looked at her with a strange mixture of care and panic, "They…They killed Sensei…" said her while tears broke out of her eyes. "They killed Sasuke-kun too…." She grabbed Naruto's T-shirt and buried her face in his well toned chest staining it with blood and tears. "Go…Go away from here. Alert H-Hokage-sama, a-alert the village…" and she passed away.

"Sakura..? SAKURA!" shouted Naruto in panic. He stood up with Sakura's corpse hanging bridal style in his hands.

'_**Kit, it's a genjutsu. Break it up.' **_

Naruto blinked in surprise, his worry and tension dispersing in the air. He putted his hands in the ram seal and concentrated on his chakra. He managed to stop the flow of chakra with Kyuubi's help and flooded it again. "KAI!"

The world around him changed and he found himself in the clearing he was before finding Sakura. He turned in time to watch three kunais coming toward him. He leaned backward, his hands acting as support, and barely missed two kunais. He kicked the last one and jumped and caught it. He then used that kunai to deflect the eight shurikens thrown at him. He threw the kunai he had caught in the direction the shurikens came from and heard a poof indicating a kawirami has been done.

He got kicked brutally at his side. The kick had enough power to send him flying for few meters yet he managed to twist his body mid-air and land at ground on his legs, without any harm.

He looked at his sensei, "That was a nice trick sensei, using a genjutsu on someone like me. Too bad, I am in good terms with my bijuu." Kakashi's eyes widened a bit at this but he soon regained his calm and bored look. "Looks like you had, had some interesting training in past twelve years."

"Heh. You can't even imagine." Smirked Naruto and charged at Kakashi while making two half ram seals with both hands in a plus position. "Shadow Clone Jutsu" Suddenly twenty clones jumped into existence and charged at Kakashi from different directions.

One clone jumped at his head, aiming for his skull while also covering his view of the second clone that used a reverse sweep at his legs. However, Kakashi was too fast for that trick to work. He jumped at the clone at his feet, destroying it with a stomp, and ducked away from the first clone to punch it in the gut, destroying it too. He was then again rampaged by ten clones working with synchronization. Kakashi engaged two of them with kunai in his hands and kicked and punched the others. The remaining clones circled around him trying to confusing him. One clone ran at him from backward intending to catch him by surprise, but Kakashi spun on the ground and jammed a chop at its ribs dispelling it instantly and then kicked another clone who tried to stab him at neck. A few punches, jumps and kicks and most of the clones go poof in the air. He ended the remaining two clones by jamming a kunai in both the clone's neck.

"Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough"

He was then hit by a powerful gust of wind that threw him away into the lake running at the side of the clearing.

Naruto, the real one, looked at the lake cautiously. Suddenly the water of the lake swirled rapidly and a dragon of water with shining yellow eyes formed and charged towards him. Naruto grunted and ran through a series of handseals. He putted his hand, in half ram seal, towards his mouth and concentrated his chakra in his neck "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet" suddenly he threw several bullets of compressed air in the dragon's direction. The dragon was strong enough to endure one bullet, however, when struck with five bullets simultaneously it quickly dispersed in water.

Naruto gave a weary smirk at his feat, "You will have to do better than that sensei." but his smirk wore off when he saw a blazing ball of flames coming towards him. The area that the ball covered was simply too great to dodge it and he only knew wind jutsus that will be useless in this situation.

"Fuck"

He turned and ran. He ran towards the trees and jumped on one of them and started jumping from tree to tree. He mentally smiled when he got the memories of his shadow clone he had hided from Kakashi and sent to do some work. That work was apparently finished now. He smirked as the fireball ran out of chakra. He looked back to see Kakashi chasing him and jumped off of the tree, Kakashi following the suit. "Well, well, now you have nowhere to run. I must say I am amazed that you know elemental jutsus at this age and you use your shadow clones fairly well. But the game is over now. There is only half hour left before this test ends and none of you managed to take a bell from m-" Kakashi was not able to complete his sentence as a foot landed on his head throwing him sideward. The owner of the foot, a very angry Sakura jumped away and stood with Naruto. "Serves you right for hitting me from back." Said her while saying something to the blond, something that made him smile.

'_Wow, she has got some strength for a girl. My head is still aching.'_ Thought Kakashi while rubbing the spot where Sakura kicked her. He stood up and charged towards the duo without any warning. He tried to kick Naruto at his neck but he ducked the kick at the last second giving Sakura a chance to slash Kakashi with a kunai. But the copy-nin proved to be too agile. He moved away from the path of the kunai and punched Sakura in her belly only for her to be switched with a log.

Kakashi jumped backward as the place he had been a second before was impaled with three kunais. He looked at the source of the kunais, and saw a smirking Sasuke walking towards his team-mates. "Looks like someone is outnumbered" mocked Sasuke.

"I can still kick your asses three times a day." deadpanned Kakashi. He then looked at his team with serious eyes, "How did you managed to get here? You should have been unconscious for two more hours."

"That, Kakashi-sensei, I can answer for you." said Naruto while taking out a scroll from his pocket.

"I pondered about this test, hard, and I came to a conclusion." He looked at Kakashi "That this is not a test for us to prove our individual skills, it's a test for our teamwork skills."

Kakashi's brow rose, "And how did you came to that conclusion?"

Naruto shrugged, "You said we have to take one bell each to pass, but there are just two bells and three of us. In a scenario, if we somehow managed to get one bell each then one of us would have had to go to academy again and our team would have been disbanded instantly as the standard protocol demands a team of 4 members. Also it's highly unlikely that a genin will be able to beat a jounin on his own, but with three of us we can probably steal the bells. If you put two and two together…." He smirked, "I hided two of my shadow clones from you when we started fighting and sent them to find Sakura-chan and Teme. They found both of them unconscious and quickly wake them up. Then we discussed a strategy and it worked out."

**{A/N (yeah, I know you were waiting for it): Naruto OST, Raikiri, Starts}**

He unsealed his dual bo-staffs and held them both in reverse grip. "Now, let the real fight begin."

With that Naruto and Sasuke charged towards Kakashi while Sakura stayed behind and bombarded Kakashi with shurikens and kunais. Kakashi dodged most of them and deflected few with his own kunais in hands. Naruto seized the opportunity when Kakashi's focus was on dodging Sakura's shurikens and kunais, and jumped at Kakashi to slam one of his staff at his head. Kakashi, however, saw the attack coming and dodged the assault at the last second by throwing himself at his side. He then became the focus of multiple fire-lit shurikens thrown by Sasuke. He grunted and ran through multiple hand-seals, faster than the eyes could follow, pulled down his mask momentarily and blew a giant fireball towards the shurikens. The fire-ball engulfed the shurikens and continued its charge towards Sasuke. Naruto then charged again at Kakashi using his bo-staffs with a skill hard to found. Naruto was not as good with them as the Sandaime, but good nonetheless. He slammed his left staff in Kakashi's gut but he caught the staff with one hand, Naruto moved his right hand in a horizontal crescent moon, across Kakashi's face, trying to slam his other staff at the side of his head. Kakashi saw this coming and tried to cover his head with his other hand, however, the force of Naruto's attack was too great and it bruised Kakashi's wrist upon contact. Kakashi felt pain running across his hand, his face refusing to show any agony. He grunted in pain and head-butted Naruto with all the force he can muster. The head-but made Naruto stagger a bit giving Kakashi a chance to punch Naruto in his ribs. The blond clutched his chest in agony, unable to defend himself of the brutal kick from Kakashi that threw him at a tree.

**(A/N: OST Ends)**

"Naruto!" shouted Sakura while running towards Naruto side.

Sasuke grunted, strategy be damned! He wasn't going to see his friend thrashed like a rag doll and do nothing but shoot jutsus! He charged towards Kakashi with more speed than he had mustered before, and tried to punch Kakashi in his ribs. Kakashi caught his hand but winced as he remembered his bruised wrist will need medical attention soon. Sasuke noticed this wince and narrowed his eyes before being thrown away by Kakashi with a kick at abdomen. He saw Naruto getting up with Sakura supporting him and a plan came to his mind. He jumped at Kakashi again, Kakashi decided to punch the uchiha mid-air, but had to move his hand away or it would have been impaled by the shuriken Sakura thrown at him. Sasuke seized this opportunity and caught his hands, planted both of his feet on Kakashi's chest using it as a support to propel himself backward towards his teammates.

'_What are they trying to do? With enough power in that kick Sasuke would have been able to cause serious harm to me. Hmm… looks like they are at the end of their reserves. Time to end this.'_

**(A/N: Naruto OST, The Raising Fighting Spirit, Starts)**

"I have only five kunais left. Do you think it will be enough?" Asked Sakura with worry.

"It will be more than enough. Just remember the plan." said Sasuke getting a nod from both Naruto and Sakura. Naruto handed Sakura a package and stood up with Sasuke in tow. He tightened his grip on his staffs and readied for the final attack.

'_We are at the end of our reserves, this is going to be our last attack. It time to end this.' _

With that he glanced at Sasuke who nodded and they both charged towards Kakashi who was waiting for them. They both ran together at him, making Kakashi think they were going to attack him at the same time. However, he was caught by surprise when they both jumped at side in the bushes and gave way to a kunai with a series of paper bombs attached to it with a string. Kakashi's eyes widened and he made a hand-seal before his world was covered by light and smoke of the explosions. The series of explosions caused a great deal of smoke and dust to rise, covering their view. But when the smoke faded away there was nothing on the ground. Suddenly a crack appeared on the ground and a hand came out of it, soon followed by the head and then the whole body of Kakashi, coming out of the ground without any damage.

Sasuke and Naruto grunted and charged at him again. Sasuke ran through a series of hand-seals while Naruto engaged Kakashi in a duel. Naruto striked his sensei with a new found ferociousness, he swung his staffs with rapid succession not giving Kakashi any chance to counter-attack while he himself was not able to do any damage to him. He spun on his heels and slammed both of his staffs at his side. Kakashi, knowing better than to block the attack jumped out of the way of the attack and then jumped backwards to dodge another kunai with a single paper bomb thrown at him by Sakura. This gave Sasuke enough time to finish his technique, "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" he blew up a blazing ball of flames, bigger than any he had ever made, and charged it at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled at the display, "Looks like you haven't learned your lessons, Sasuke-kun. Your weak techniques are no match for mine." said Kakashi mockingly while going through his own set of hand seals. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" and another ball of flames, bigger than Sasuke's, came into existence and shot towards Sasuke's fireball. Both the jutsus collided in a stalemate. It was looking as if both of them are going to extinguish each other but Kakashi's jutsu proved to be more powerful and began to push Sasuke's jutsu away.

"I won't let that happen!" shouted Naruto as he threw his bo-staffs up in the air and ran through hand-seals in a fast speed, "Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasle Technique!" he caught his bo-staffs again, and moved them in a X slashing postion, and a great gust of wind shot out from around Naruto. Usually the technique makes a vaccum that traps a enemy in it and cut him with many wind blades, but when used in conjuction of the grand fireball, it worked as a fueling agent and increased the intensity, power, and speed of Sasuke's jutsu, enabling it to overcome Kakashi's jutsu. Sasuke's fireball, after overcoming Kakashi's jutsu continued its charge towards him. Kakashi's eyes widened but he wasn't fast enough to evade this attack and got caught in it.

**(A/N: OST Ends)**

Sasuke slumped on the ground in exhaustion of using chakra costing techniques in quick succession, soon followed by Naruto and Sakura, who was just exhausted by throwing too many projectiles and also due to mental fatigue of watching an intense fight. Team seven saw as the fireball engulfed their sensei as whole, with surprise. Did they kill their sensei? But he was a jounin!? He must be alive!

And their answer came when they felt their body being wrapped around with ninja wire, restricting their movements. They looked at the cause with weak eyes, fatigue clear in them, which widened in surprise at seeing their sensei, who was looking a little winded himself.

"I must say, I never expected you guys to be this good. But I am not a jounin for nothing." He said with a smirk, which was visible even with the mask.

"But how did you dodge the fireball? All of us saw you getting engulfed by it." Asked Sakura a little surprised.

"Shadow clone…" grunted Naruto having realized too late.

"Exactly. I had hided one clone from the start, and kawiramied with it at the last moment too fool all of you." He looked at them with pride in his eyes. "I never got a team which understood the meaning of this exercise until I told them myself. You all showed a great deal of understanding and skills. I highly doubt any of the other team would have done this good if putted at your place. With a little more effort you would have been able to get the bells from me…"

"Uhh…Sensei…I think you would like to reconsider your words." Said Naruto with a smirk.

Kakashi blinked and looked at his belt where he had tied the bells.

The bells were gone.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise, "But when did you…?"

"You remember the time when Naruto ducked at your kick while I was trying to slash you with a kunai…." Said Sakura with her tongue stuck out, "He ducked, not to dodge, but to get the bells. And I attacked you to divert your attention towards me."

"I see….well I have no other option but to pass you." He cut the wires and help them get up, their bruised body showing that he had hit them pretty badly.

"Congratulations! Now you are true genins of the Hidden Leaves!" exclaimed Kakashi while giving them an eye-smile.

"Hurray! Lets party at the Ichiraku." Shouted Naruto while jumping with excitement and happiness. Sakura smile at his instincts while Sasuke gave him a smirk and they all left to enjoy their day.

Kakashi shrugged and vanished with a shunshin.

* * *

(At Hokage Tower)

All the jounin senseis of their respective teams were present to give report of their teams' performance at the test. Many teams had failed but the ratio of the teams passed was better than they had seen in a long time.

Asuma came forward, "Asuma Sarutobi, Jounin instructor of team 10 reporting. My team had passed the test gracefully. We can undoubtedly expect a new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho from them." And then he went backward again.

Hiruzen smiled at this revelation and ordered Kurenai to speak.

"Kurenai Yuhi, jounin instructor of team 8 reporting. My team exceeded my expectations and thus earned the right to be called genins of the Hidden Leaves. We can expect good performances on their behalf." And with that she also went backward. Hiruzen was happy that this year's batch of genins possessed this much talent. He sighed, "Now where is Kakashi?"

His answer came when the door of the room opened and the aloof copy-nin entered, giving all the people present an eye-smile.

"Yo"

Everyone present sweatdropped at his behavior and eyed him curiously, "What happened to you Kakashi-san? You looked a little…winded." Said a random Jounin with genuine curiosity.

"I'll just say that my team is full of surprises." This made everyone present scowl for not receiving full details, however their shock was beyond words when Kakashi said his next words. He adopted a professional look with hands at back, "Kakashi Hatake, jounin instructor of team 7 reporting. My team passed with flying colors."

Kakashi Hatake, the man who never passed a team in his entire life just for the sake of having free time, have passed a team. And with flying colors too!

But nobody dared to question him.

The Hokage was filled with joy and pride but dismissed everyone as the night had fallen on the village, "All of you are dismissed. Come here tomorrow at morning to receive missions with your teams."

All of them nodded and left the room. They needed a good sleep tonight.

* * *

**A/N: **well I guess it came out nicely enough. Still, it was my first fighting scene so I would love to get some remarks of how it was done. Any suggestion is welcome as well.

Would you please leave a review before going?


	6. Chapter 6: Konohamaru

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. However, I do own all the OC's and Techniques I'll add to this fic that are not someone else's property already.

* * *

_**Bonds**_

_**Ch.6**_

_**Konohamaru…**_

Today was a special day in many senses. Today was Sunday which means that no boring and cruel D-rank missions today! The hopes (fighting monsters while protecting a beautiful princess and take her back to the castle, or fighting armies and freeing a country from the clutches of evil) of all the more enthusiastic members of the genin teams were cruelly shattered by the Hokage and their Senseis when they introduced them to their first D-Rank mission.

All the Jounin-senseis of the genin teams had decided in a meeting to keep a day off for their students so that they don't feel too much stress and can practice more with their free time.

Needless to say, all the genins were happy to at least get a day off from the boring cruel horror show that was presented to them on a platter of D-Rank missions. Some of them were even convinced that The Hokage has started the system of D-Ranks just to mess with the genins. They were partially right on this one.

While for some it was a day to play dead on their bed…

* * *

A certain pineapple haired boy shifted in his sleep mumbling about 'troublesome authors who can't understand the beauty of doing practically nothing'

* * *

…for other, more energetic members, it was a day to refine their skills or to learn something new. Of course our blond bundle of energy came to the second group.

He was at training ground 7 practicing his bo-staffs skills from a scroll The Sandaime gave to him.

Hiruzen was quick to call Naruto to his office after learning that the boy uses bo-staffs as his weapons, from Kakashi's report. He knew there are only a few who can train Naruto in this art, as such, he decided to train him in the skill of bo-staffs, or atleast help him by giving him pointers and telling him his mistakes whenever he do something wrong. The boy was skilled, but he was far from a master. So Hiruzen gave him a scroll he had made himself in his youth.

The scroll was very detailed and informative. Just reading it makes Naruto respect the Hokage more and more.

He had already learned two of the techniques given in the scroll and was close to mastering the third one.

He was not alone in the clearing, as the young Uchiha prodigy was also there practicing his weapons throwing skills. Naruto, at one point, was convinced that Kakashi must have hit him too hard on the skull and he had lost a major fraction of his sanity. How the hell can he hit the targets at different angles from just one spot?

He had decided wisely to keep his distance from the Uchiha, and after seeing the kunais and shurikens embedded in trees in random positions, he didn't regret his decision a bit.

"Dammit! I still can't perform it neatly!" growled Sasuke in clear frustration.

"I don't think you can even _perform _this technique, let alone neatly." Deadpanned Naruto while pointing towards the trees that had the bad luck to be in the way of Sasuke and his targets.

Only two out of ten targets were hit. All the other were unscathed, the shurikens didn't even came close to them.

Sasuke glared at him, "Shut up or I'll blow a fireball up in your ass and then kick it so hard that you will not be able to sit even in the afterlife."

"You think you can even touch me to do what you said? I'm gonna whip the floor with you in a battle." Smirked Naruto.

"Oh yeah? Well, we have a way to see that." said Sasuke in a monotonous voice, with a challenging look in his eyes.

'_How the hell can he manage to look like an emo with that look in his eyes?' _thought Naruto with a sweatdrop.

He nodded to him and they both went to the tree in the middle of the ground and sat underneath it to take a break.

Sasuke sat and opened his package which he had kept there before training. It was a pink lunchbox with a photo of a girl which somehow looked like Sakura and a boy who looked like Sasuke sitting while holding hands. Inside there was curry and rice, some additional curry was put on the rice to make it look like a heart, some additional spices were added too with a small box of pickle. There was a message attached with a thread.

_Your riceballs were too simple for an awesome guy like you. I made it myself for you, it will give you proper nutrition and I also have added a special spice for extra flavor. That extra flavor is…Love. I putted my love in it. I hope you will love it too._

_-Your Sakura-chan._

And that was it. Naruto was rolling on the ground holding his sides while roaring laughter, looking at a completely dumbfounded Sasuke who was looking at the lunchbox, as if it was the one responsible for the annihilation of his whole clan, and has excused that it had done so to measure up its capacity of how much it can hold blood.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA…oh that's the best!" he sat on the ground while whipping the mirth tear coming out of his eyes. Sasuke glared at him with whole of his might, for one second Naruto thought that the temperature rose around him, before he started to laugh again.

* * *

Somewhere in a dark cave, two man wearing black cloaks with red clouds on it, stood as if they were waiting for someone. One was a large man with light blue skin and shark like features, with a large sword wrapped in bandages on his back. The other one was a fair skinned man with handsome features, normal height and red eyes which had three black tomoes in it.

His eyes suddenly widened in surprise before returning back to normal. The shark like man noticed this, "What is the matter Itachi-san?"

Itachi looked at him, his face not showing any emotion, before looking back ahead. "Nothing."

'_Why do I feel like using Amaterasu on the Kyuubi's jinchuriki?'_

* * *

"Allright allright, I won't laugh" Said Naruto while raising his hands in defensive position, after seeing Sasuke glaring at him and started to stand up before the wind started moving and the message that has been tied (and tear out after reading it) from the lunch box came flying and stuck on Naruto's face. He took it in hand and looked at it in confusion.

And started laughing his ass out.

Apparently there was a hand-made drawing of a chibi Sasuke kissing a chibi Sakura on the backside of the note.

Sasuke showed like he didn't care and started to eat the lunch while keeping a poker face. But inside he was sulking and cursing Sakura and her fan-girl attitude.

'_Damn Salura! Damn you and your fan-girlishness! You turned me into a laughing stock!'_

He took one bite of the curry-rice and his eyes widened in surprise. It was…delicious.

'_Atleast the food is good.' _

Naruto (after laughing for 10 minutes more like a mad man) came and sat besides Sasuke.

While he was laughing his ass out on Sakura's this….display of affection, he was from inside slightly jealous from Sasuke. He never had someone who cared that much for him. Sure he had Jiraya with him, but he was more like a father to him than a friend. While he had made some friends while travelling, he never had spent more than one month with them, as Jiraya had to constantly travel to do his work. One month, while a good enough time to make strong bonds with friends, could not be compared to the years of friendship and bonds which had only grown stronger with time. He never had a friend who cared for him like that. And for the first time in his life he felt lonely from inside. As if something was missing. Suddenly an image of a girl with waist length hair with a purple streak to them, wearing a light lavender dress without sleeves, with black kunoichi lowers flashed through his mind. And faded as soon as it appeared.

'_Wh-What the! Why did Hinata's image cross my mind?'_

Naruto wondered silently but shrugged it off as a side-effect of being adopted by the self-proclaimed 'super pervert'.

He looked at his side and noticed that Sasuke was looking at him silently while chewing his rice.

"…..What?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Aren't you gonna eat your lunch?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto sighed and took Sasuke's bottle and drank some water, "Ero-sennin is out of town for some days. And I can't cook. It's not like I didn't try. But the one time I made dinner for Ero-sennin, he spent his whole night in the washroom and forbids me to ever even put a step inside the kitchen after that."

Sasuke snickered and gulped down the rest of water, "Looks like you can't do a thing right, dobe."

"Teme," muttered Naruto while looking away.

He saw Hinata entering the grounds with two packages in her hands.

"Hinata-chan? What are you doing here?" asked Naruto while grinning happily.

Hinata pouted in a moking manner, "What's this Naruto-kun? Can't I come to see a friend?" she giggled at Naruto's embarrassment and decided to stop her teasing, "I was just passing by here so decided to meet with you. Hope you don't mind." Said Hinata with a tongue stuck out.

"Never" was the reply of Naruto.

He really liked that girl. She was a strong girl with lots of potential in her. Naruto already knew that Hinata is the best kunoichi in their whole wide class; she was just too modest to acknowledge that. She was the daughter of the clan head of the most prominent clan of konoha, she was in all senses a princess, yet she do not have any shroud of superiority complex within her personality.

He felt kind of relieved when he saw her, but he does not know why.

She then noticed Sasuke sitting besides Naruto and waved at him in a friendly manner, "Hello Sasuke-kun. What are you both doing here?"

"I came here to practice some moves when I saw Teme here already practicing some weird shuriken throwing techniques…." Said Naruto and a smirk came on his face, "….and failing epically."

Sasuke developed a tick-mark on his fore-head, "Well at least I didn't manage to hurt my family jewels with oversized black drumsticks while doing some weird dance."

Naruto's face turned red and his hand automatically came over his crotch in a defensive position, "Hey people learn from mistakes, and the katas were too difficult to perform at the first try."  
Hinata was giggling at this display of the boys but noticed something, "Ano, Naruto-kun, why are you not eating your lunch? I thought you will be hungry after what Sasuke-kun told me."

Sasuke snickered and Naruto's face turned beet red, "Ero-sennin is out of town, and I can't cook. And I forgot my money in house so I can't go to ichiraku's too." Said Naruto with a defeated sigh.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, I happen to have a spare lunch-box that I made for Neji but he said that today his sensei was going to take them out to eat. Why don't you eat that?" said Hinata with an eye-smile.

"Is it allright? I mean, you made it for Neji and it will not be-"  
"Shush it Naruto-kun, it's allright. I'm sure Neji won't mind." Said Hinata and sat besides the boys and gave Naruto Neji's lunch-box. All three of them ate without uttering a word. The only time any noise came was when Naruto showed Hinata Sakura's message note and drawing and she erupted in laughter.

After they finished their lunch Naruto and Sasuke stood up patted their lowers to get rid of the dirt and travelled to the middle clearing for their spar.

Hinata watched them with curiosity, she wanted to see Naruto in action and she was curious about the sharingan too, it was the doujutsu that was deemed superior than the byakugan after all.

They both stood without a motion. Wind blowing around them and kicking up dust around their feet. The sound of leafs dancing on the ground could be heard for some minutes then suddenly they both charged towards each other. Both were in a deadlock with Sasuke using kunais and Naruto his bo-staffs. Sasuke, seeming the opportunity, kicked Naruto in the gut which was soon followed by a punch to his face. To anyone watching the fight, it was clear that Sasuke was better in taijutsu than Naruto. He had a grace in his every move and exerted little to no pressure on his body. But the match was far from over. Sasuke tried to punch Naruto at the ribs but Naruto spun around the punch and jammed his right staff on Sasuke's gut. He then kneaded Sasuke at his face making him fall backwards. Naruto jumped backward and putted his hands in a cross seal, **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Ten clones popped into existence shocking Hinata. _'Naruto-kun can make real clones?' _

All of the clones charged at Sasuke surrounding him from all the directions. They all attacked him at the same time but Sasuke again showed his superiority in taijutsu and dominated all of the clones within 15 seconds.

Those 15 seconds, however, were enough for Naruto to complete his next technique.

"**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"**

A great gust of wind blew from Naruto's surroundings and hit Sasuke head on ramming him into a nearby tree forcefully. Naruto panted a little, this technique was a chakra costing one. He has to put more chakra in it to compensate for his lack of control. The resultant gust of wind was more powerful but less controlled and losses its strength more rapidly and he was only able to perform this technique 3 times without falling from chakra exhaustion.

Sasuke stood up with a groan while rubbing his head in the back, "Damn you, Naruto."

He walked towards the clearing again and took his battle stance. Then, with an unspoken order, they both started round two.

This time, however, Sasuke was the one whipping the floor with Naruto. He didn't give Naruto any time to make Shadow Clones or do any other technique, making him relying solely on his taijutsu. While with his bo-staffs Naruto had better reach, Sasuke was simply too agile to let Naruto hit him. He punched Naruto in the face followed by a kick to his gut and a sweeping left kick forcing Naruto to eat the dirt. He jumped on the lying Naruto and kneaded him on his back with all his might, making Naruto scream in pain.

"This for the concussion I get when you rammed in the tree." Said a smirking Sasuke.

"Bastard…" said Naruto before smirking himself, "Let's start the final round."

They both got to their positions again and took their stances. They both eyed each other, seeing only determination and fire in each other. The both charged towards each other with new found speed. Naruto twisted his hold over the staffs and held them as if holding two swords and Sasuke took out his kunais. Naruto moved his right staff in a stabbing motion with a swift move hitting Sasuke in the gut and turned around and rammed his left staff on Sasuke's shoulder while using the right one to hit his face. He then moved his hands in a swinging motion to hit Sasuke at the side of his abdomen with his right staff while hitting his other shoulder with his left staff. He then moved his staffs together in upward direction hitting Sasuke on the chin with both of his staffs and then lowered them powerfully on his head making him fall to the ground.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock. Naruto…he..he has killed Sasuke in front of her eyes! How can anyone move after taking _that_ beating! But the thing that surprised her most was Naruto's face. It was like if he was searching for something. She looked at the place where Sasuke fell but instead of his defeated form there was a log broken from several places. Her eyes widened in surprise and she activated her byakugan. Her view changed to 360 degree and she found Sasuke hidden on the branch of the tree which was at Naruto's blind spot, while going through some handsigns.

"**Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"**

A fireball the size of a small elephant rushed towards Naruto who made a cross seal with his hands, **"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

A huge number of Shadow Clones popped into existence and acted as a shield between Naruto and the fireball. The clones jumped between Naruto and the fireball and formed a straight line. They were able to hold the fireball for some time and after the end of the last clone it had lost its chakra fuel and exhausted itself.

Naruto threw 5 shurikens at the place where the fireball came from forcing Sasuke to jump out of there into the clearing.

They both stood facing each other and started to remove their respective jackets (Hey, they didn't want to go to home in scraps!) and threw them towards Hinata who understood the message and kept them besides her. Naruto was left in his white tight fitting T-shirt and black lowers, while Sasuke was left with his black T-shirt and white denim.

Both of them were panting by using too much chakra costing techniques. Sasuke putted his kunais back in his holder and Naruto sealed away his staffs in his scroll. They both looked at each other and ran and shared fists, making it a pure taijutsu brawl. Agility and graced be damned! When you have Naruto's stamina, you can afford hitting one time while taking 2 hits. The brawl continued for 30 seconds. They jumped and kicked and punched and headbutted. They did everything that they could. After 30 seconds a bruised Sasuke and an equally bruised Naruto stood there panting and slightly slumping. They started to walk towards each other, their walk turned faster and faster until it became running. They ran towards each other pulling their respective dominant hands back in a punch.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

They both shouted and punched each other on the face with all of their remaining strength.

* * *

(After 20 minutes, at konoha's hospital)

After hitting each other with that last punch, Naruto and Sasuke had felled on the ground, completely knocked off. Hinata was worried and putted both of them under the tree. She searched for someone with her byakugan and soon found Kiba who was taking a walk with Akamaru and asked him to help her. This leads us to our current place, The Konoha's Hospital.

"Awww com'on Hinata-chan I said I'm fine." Whimpered Naruto but to no avail. He had bandages over both of his arms and his torso which were putted on him in his unconscious state. Sasuke was not much better, he had bandages over his shoulders and legs, he also had one bandage on his forehead which he hid with his hitai-ate.

"What the hell had happened? Why were you both so badly beaten?" asked Kiba with a curious frown.

"Kiba, what are you doing here?" asked Sasuke.

"He was the one who helped me to bring you both here" said a very angry Hinata, "You said you were going to spar, not an assassination test!"

"Hehe..well, a spar is not a spar until it challenges you.." said Naruto while rubbing the back of his head and giving Hinata a weak grin.

"Heh, agreed" Said a smirking Kiba.

"Kiba-kun, not you too!" Said Hinata with a defeated voice. She can never understand boys.

Kiba and Naruto snickered, while Sasuke stood up and threw on his zipper shirt, "You guys enjoy, I have some work at home. See ya" and he walked out of the hospital towards his house.

"I have to go too, or Hana is gonna butcher me…" said Kiba with a gulp. He waved his good bye to Hinata and Naruto, while Akamaru barked the same.

Naruto stood up and threw on his jacket, "Let's go Hinata-chan." Hinata nodded and they both went out from the hospital.

After dropping Hinata to her home Naruto was going towards his house. The sun had set 1 hour ago and there were very few people on the street. He shoved his hands in his pocket and began to mumble a tune he had learned from one of his friends he met on travel. He turned for a path and saw a 7-8 years old boy, with a long scarf and spiky hair was shouting on a man with black shinobi jumpsuit and matching glasses. The boy had tears falling down his eyes. The shinobi was doing his best to console the boy but his efforts only made the boy angrier.

"MY NAME IS KONOHAMARU!" shouted the boy making the shinobi flinch.

"Now, now, Honorable-grandson, we all know your name. You are named after the village after all. How can anybody forget the name of the grandson of S-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, DO YOU!? MY NAME IS KONOHAMARU NOT THE HONORABLE GRANDSON!"

The boy pushed the ninja out of the way and ran with an amazing speed for a kid.

The ninja shook his head with a defeated sigh, "I don't understand…. where I was wrong?" he mumbled to himself before shunshining out without even noticing Naruto. Naruto sighed and ran in the direction the boy went to. In the forests of konoha.

* * *

(In the forests)

Naruto ran as fast as he could, wandering aimlessly inside the forests. He had been searching for 15 minutes non-stop but still wasn't able to find the boy.

'_Damn, where did that boy go? I hope he hadn't run into the deeper sections of the forest. It's dangerous out there.'_

He made a cross-seal and 5 shadow clones appeared beside him. He looked at them and they all nodded to him, dispersing to different direction in search of the boy.

He searched for 10 minutes more when he received the memories of one of his shadow clones who had found the boy. He quickly rushed to the place his clone had seen the boy.

* * *

(With Konohamaru)

Konohamaru was sitting on a large rock besides the lake that passes through the forest. He had no idea how he found this place nor how he was going to go back, but to say the truth…he didn't want to go back.

He wiped away the tears falling down his eyes and splashed some water from the lake on his face.

'_Why does no one acknowledge me? I am Sandaime's grandson so what!? I am still a human!'_

**Grrrr…**

His face stiffened in fear and he slowly looked back hoping that he heard wrong. He saw nothing back there so he sighed in relief and began to look at the lake again.

He saw his reflection in the lake, his sad, crying face clear at display. The moonlight hided the tear marks on his cheeks but what it did not hide was the silhouette of the peculiar thing that was standing behind him, with blood-shot red eyes and white pointed teeth. Konohamaru jumped away from the rock as soon as possible and was treated with the sight of a large, hungry, wild tiger swaying its tail in delight of having found his prey.

**GRRRRRRRR…**

Konohamaru backed away in fear but tripped over his own legs, falling on his butt. The tiger jumped from the rock towards the boy while growling in tease, hunger evident in its eyes.

Tears threaten to fall from his eyes again as he tried to back away in his position. His hand came upon a stone and he grabbed it, intent on throwing it at the tiger.

'_That's right. I can't let it have the advantage over me. I need to be strong. Com'on konohamaru…..just a little more courage…!'_

He stood up with shaky legs, "C-Come, you filthy tiger! I-I am n-not afraid o-of you!"

The tiger walked towards him slowly, loving the moment with its prey. Konohamaru backed away a little, pulled his hand and threw the stone at the tiger. The stone flew through air and hit the tiger in its eyes. Blood started trickling from its eyes and the tiger roared in anger. It started running at Konohamaru with his full speed now.

Konohamaru was terrified. He couldn't fight a tiger with a stone after all; he is a kid for crying out loud! When he saw the tiger running at him he thought he was dead now. He lifted his hands in a defensive position and counted his last minutes.

The tiger jumped at Konohamaru and he closed his eyes in fear.

But nothing happened.

He quickly opened his eyes and gasped in shock. He was saved. Saved by a blond boy with markings on his cheeks, who had just kicked the tiger into the lake.

Time seemed to become slow at the moment, the moon light gave the boy's face a heavenly glow, his determined face looking at the place the tiger flew to. His eyes were full of anger a cold furry burning in them. His speed made his jacket flow backward and his hair to tilt too.

Konohamaru looked in awe at the boy.

Naruto finally landed from his jump kick and looked at Konohamaru with concern.

"Hey boy, you all right?"

"Y-Y-Yeah...thanks for saving me." Said Konohamaru while blushing in embarrassment. He wanted to become hokage and yet was saved by some random person.

"No prob." Said Naruto with a smirk, "Now let's go. This place is dangerous at this point of time."

Konohamaru nodded and followed him.

They were walking in the middle of the forest when Konohamaru asked him the question he wanted to ask him the moment he saved him, "Who are you?"

Naruto looked at him and smiled, "I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. What is your name?"

"My name is Konohamaru, Konohamaru Sarutobi" Naruto gaped at his surname and suddenly all the pieces fell to the puzzle. Why the ninja was calling him 'Honorable Grandson', why was he so worried when Konohamaru ran away….it was all clear now. He was the grandson of Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.

But why was he crying?

"Uhh Konohamaru..I happen to have heard your conversation with that ninja. You were in the middle of the street blocking my path after all…."

Konohamaru blushed at this and looked down. Naruto took his hand and guided him through the turn in the path.

"But I was not able to understand one thing. Why were you crying?"

Konohamaru didn't move his eyes, finding the ground rather interesting, but answered his question nonetheless, "As you may have already deduced, and from your face it's clear that you had, I am the grandson of the sandaime. My grandpa named me over the village, hoping that everyone will remember my name this way. But..but not a single person in the village call me with my name. They either call me 'honorable grandson' or 'grandson of sandaime'…."

Konohamaru's eyes begun to moist as tears threaten to fall. Naruto gave the boy an apologetic look. He knew how some decisions can backlash in the most unimaginable way possible. His dad wanted him to be treated as a hero, but with what Jiraya told him about the reactions of the villagers after learning his jinchuuriki status, he seriously doubt he would have been treated as a human, let alone a royalty.

"…nobody acknowledge me. I want to become famous but with my own merits not because of grandpa. I don't have a single friend at home. All of them are scared to hurt me or to have fun with me. Only the grandchildren of grandpa's old team-mates, Udon and Moegi, hangs out with me. Not that I mind them, they are quite fun. But, I want people to treat me normally….I am not an award trophy, I am Konohamaru Sarutobi, the next Hokage!"

He exclaimed the last part with happiness and determination. Naruto looked at him, he liked the boy already.

"Heh, you will never be the next hokage, Konohamaru…." Konohamaru's eyes widen in surprise. Someone actually called him by his name. But then he registered the rest of Naruto's statement and frowned.

"…Because I am going to be the next Hokage, Believe it!"

Konohamaru bumped his fist to his palm, as if he had decided something important, "Then it's settled. You and I are rivals from now on."

Naruto's eyes widened momentarily before his face was covered with a huge grin, "Then someday, we will have a match for the title of hokage." He said with a smirk, "Until then improve yourself. Learn as many things as you can, become as smart as you can, be the fastest, be the strongest, for I am not going to be an easy opponent. I will be your worst nightmare, your menace. Becoming Hokage is not a child's play. You come and try until you get it, but when you see this Naruto Uzumaki sitting at the seat with the hat on his head, you better not dare to challenge him, or if you do, be prepared for the most crushing defeat you have ever faced."

At this point of time they had stopped moving and Naruto was crouching at Konohamaru's level, his hands on his shoulder.

Konohamaru's eyes sparkled in awe, "Sugoi! So this means that if I defeated you, I'll be more awesome than you right?"

Naruto blinked but nodded slowly.

"Then I am going to defeat you for sure!"

Naruto sweat dropped, _'What the hell is wrong with this kid?'_

'_**Hahahahaha looks like you managed to find a junior Naruto."**_

'_Fuck you fur ball'_

* * *

(After 15 min. At the entrance of the forest)

Naruto and Konohamaru were rewarded with the view of Third Hokage along with one of his ANBU guard standing there waiting for them. How did they know that they were coming was beyond him, and decided to ask it later.

The Hokage sighed in relief, "Ebisu told me what happened…" he looked at Konohamaru with apologetic eyes and then turned to Naruto and smiled, "You did the right thing Naruto. Leaving a kid in the forest at this late is very dangerous. For your efforts the payment for a C-Rank mission will be provided to you. Going into the forest alone at night was dangerous for you too after all."

He went towards them and got hold of Konohamaru's hand. The boy was happy and cheerful; he thanked Naruto inwardly as he remembered their talk that he had seen with his crystal ball.

The Hokage, Konohamaru, and the ANBU guard went towards Sarutobi Mansion, while Naruto went towards his home.

He reached his home without any further event. He opened the door with his keys and entered to his room, throwing off his jacket and pants on the way. He was too tired to put them in the cupboard. He went to his bed and fell on it like a dead man. His eyes closed and his thoughts drifted towards one thing.

Today was a long day.

* * *

**A/N: ** Sugoi = Awesome

Thanks to those who reviewed. You guys are awesome!

I'm waiting to hear how I did with the fight scenes, amazingly all the reviews were positive :) I am glad to know that many people are liking this story.

Please Rate & Review!

**Memorable Moment:** He said with a smirk, "Until then improve yourself. Learn as many things as you can, become as smart as you can, be the fastest, be the strongest, for I am not going to be an easy opponent. I will be your worst nightmare, your menace. Becoming Hokage is not a child's play. You come and try until you get it, but when you see this Naruto Uzumaki sitting at the seat with the hat on his head, you better not dare to challenge him, or if you do, be prepared for the most crushing defeat you have ever faced."


End file.
